


Take my heart, Leave a book

by Lubamoon



Category: Die unendliche Geschichte | The Neverending Story - Michael Ende, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Chewie is a dog, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, First Dates, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Fújur is a cat, Gentle understanding and tall, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Mechanic Rey, Minor Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Minor Character Death, Not decided yet - Freeform, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey Palpatine, Soft Ben Solo, Teacher Ben Solo, The book ships it, Writer Ben Solo, cousin Phasma, little free library, love for books
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:02:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 44,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24068551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lubamoon/pseuds/Lubamoon
Summary: Aesthetic Reylo PromptsA nearby park has a little "take a book, leave a book" library. Ben, the caretaker, takes a book, noticing the margins are annotated with thoughts and questions. Intrigued, he sets out on a mission to find who the book originally belonged to.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 24
Kudos: 42
Collections: Ijustfellintothissendhelp





	1. The Caretaker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lotrtrash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotrtrash/gifts).
  * Translation into Español available: [Toma mi corazón, deja un libro](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24068986) by [Lubamoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lubamoon/pseuds/Lubamoon)



> This is a very late birthday present for Ana, that it was going to be something about pirates but I came up with this idea with the prompt that seemed right and special to her. I hope you like this book-lover Ben and that you enjoy this history as much as I enjoy yours!

_"If you have never spent whole afternoons with burning ears and rumpled hair, forgetting the world around you over a book, forgetting cold and hunger--  
  
If you have never read secretly under the bedclothes with a flashlight, because your father or mother or some other well-meaning person has switched off the lamp on the plausible ground that it was time to sleep because you had to get up so early--  
  
If you have never wept bitter tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless--  
  
If such things have not been part of your own experience, you probably won't understand what Bastian did next.” _

_Michael Ende - The NeverEnding Story_

[Take my heart, Leave a book playlist](http://open.spotify.com/user/an34ulo9l4jq48c9hf435wesp/playlist/3VAMkSUzeMnRQp5ZhqU7fD)

* * *

In the small town of _New Alderaan_ , interesting things never happened, but that doesn't mean that life was boring.

Its people had the particularity of being affectionate and protecting each other, like a big family. Of course, many of them were actually relatives.

The newcomers admired the calm of the place, the absence of traffic and the smiles of the inhabitants. The rhythm of life was totally different from that of a city but it had nothing to envy in terms of entertainment since the Alderaanians were witty and carefree people.

The landscape was one of the most important attractions and the pride of the residents. Hundreds of species of herbs and wild flowers dotted the scene, birds and insects of all kinds too, and many wildlife enthusiasts rejoiced in discovering new specimens of both every year. It hardly ever rained and the weather was mild all year round, making the place an ideal spot for people who wanted to spend a quiet period of their lives. It was a true paradise.

But like any community, _New Alderaan_ was no exception when it came to keeping secrets.

Each story was intertwined with another, and its origins could be traced back to the very foundation of the place, which was quite recent. As the result of a perfect balance of opposites, love and hate, there were rumors that miracles were happening there or that some kind of magic might exist.

Because at the end of the day, with a greater or lesser degree of suffering, all endings were happy.

The patriarchs of the town were the most honorable and admired people in the place, because thanks to the transfer of the land of what was once a large country mansion, _New Alderaan_ had been born almost eighty years ago.

The Organa family chose the name to honor their homeland, from which they had fled long ago due to force majeure. They were the closest thing to royalty and their descendants were respected and loved for their legacy and the merits they acquired in the years that followed.

When the Solo family gave up part of the surrounding land and both families were united by the marriage of their children, the village took on its definitive dimension and acquired an organized and democratic structure. The diplomacy of the Alderaanians was recognized hundreds of kilometers away, despite the relative isolation of the place.

For that reason, when the time came to elect a mayor, the vote was unanimous.

Leia Organa, daughter of the founders, was elected to govern and for years peace and harmony were maintained. Of course, every action has its corresponding reaction and there was one person who was a little bit harmed by her decision.

Her husband, Han Solo, accepted the appointment with joy at first. But his was an adventurous spirit and never managed to put down definite roots in New Alderaan. He found excuses to stay away, and Leia understood that, and she was busy with her business and the growing population.

But everything changed when their son arrived.

Benjamin Organa-Solo, Ben to friends, was the light in the couple's eyes for a long time and managed to bring them together under the same roof for a few years. But differences soon emerged and the child became the subject of excuses and negotiations by the parents as he grew up.

We would be wrong to assume that they were unhappy, actually living their own way and enjoying small moments as sparks of happiness. Ben grew up surrounded by the affection of his closest relatives, uncles and cousins, who gradually settled down there.

On many occasions, the envy of power attracted nefarious characters who caused a lot of damage, but since the family had warrior's blood in their veins, they found a way to get ahead.

Only once they did not succeed and the consequences left scars that took years to heal. The closest relatives of the Organa-Solo kept secrets to protect themselves and the reality became a rumor, the rumor became a legend. They simply let time pass and fed on the calm of the place to regenerate the cycle of life and forget the past.

But spite was still there, under the surface, waiting for the moment to manifest itself before it was finally healed.

The oldest, who abounded, were proud to have found in those lands the potential element of happiness, the most imaginative spoke of a kind of mystical energy that put everything in its place, after subjecting people to certain tests. 

Although nothing ever happened in New Alderaan, those who knew the place spoke of fantastic stories. And the real magic was in the hearts of some of its inhabitants.

And one of them was Ben.

Everyone knew, at least in name, the son of the mayor of New Alderaan and the general opinion about him was favorable. Like his mother, he was passionate about improving the living conditions of his neighbors and was a pleasant person when treated in depth. In short, he was respected although many accused him of being cold and distant, as if his ancestry gave him reason to be a little arrogant. Only his closest family and friends knew the true nature of his withdrawn character.

But an attentive and unbiased observer might have said that Ben had a sad air about him. He usually liked to be alone and spent most of his days in a large, dark house he had inherited from his father's family, reading or painting small watercolors of the landscapes he knew and those he imagined. On rare occasions he wrote his own stories, but he did have a kind of diary in which he wrote down by hand everything that caught his attention with a studied and neat calligraphy.

Ben was introverted but knew how to behave in society if the situation required it. He was kind to everyone but he didn't let anyone pass through his walls. He hid the rebellious aspect of his temperament under layers and layers of self-control and discipline, learned to observe before he spoke and created an inner world as fascinating as it was inaccessible, which he enriched hour after hour with his studies and readings, reserving for himself or for some person who was brave enough to try to reach his heart.

But that person did not yet exist. _Not yet._

Behind his apparently calm eyes, he expected a whole world of emotions that he was not allowed to explore, perhaps out of fear, perhaps because of bad experiences. He knew himself too well and was sure that it was better not to insist on some paths.

Perhaps his standards were too high and so believed the young women of the village, who yearned for him year after year, seeing how none of them were capable of catching him or even seducing him. The distance that Ben imposed between himself and the rest of the world helped to reinforce his arrogant image and discouraged many people who did not bother to get to know him, except that dealing with him was absolutely necessary. But out of deference to his mother and grandparents, they respected the apparently sour character who, in his own way, enriched the intellectual and cultural heritage of the people.

Ben worked at _New Alderaan's_ only high school as a literature teacher and eventually helped edit the local newspaper, _The New Republic_ , founded by his uncle Luke Skywallker who was his mother's half-brother and a bit obsessed with the history of the place.

Although there were not many events to publish, Luke filled the pages with advice of all kinds, ranging from how to cultivate a plot to the most appropriate rules of etiquette, always keeping a positive and slightly strict tone. The rest of the paper was aimed at attacking the competition, _The Dark Side_ owned by his biggest enemy and neighbor, Sheev Palpatine, which was basically a gossip and rumor mill for the entertainment of the Alderaanians.

Ink was poured into each weekly edition, but the contest never got old for some strange reason, and the two elders were treated with cold cordiality whenever they met anywhere. And it was inevitable that this would happen, because it was a rather small town.

The Friday book club was one of those places.

Ben had promoted these biweekly meetings for book enthusiasts as a way to enjoy what he liked best and make it accessible to others. They debated until late in the afternoon on days worthy of being studied by the most eminent lawyers because their speakers did not hesitate to resort to the craziest arguments in order to defend their own position. Ben found this so entertaining that he resigned his role as moderator to enjoy the crazy spectacle.

And his apparently quiet but busy life oscillated between these activities and some others.

Lately he had made some arrangements to set up mobile libraries, a handful of them, in strategic locations in New Alderaan. The nice little wooden houses full of books and perfectly maintained worked seamlessly in such a peaceful community. The correct functioning required leaving a book for each one taken, achieving a greater circulation of titles and the appearance of the unexpected feature, the surprise.

Ben personally took care of them, especially when news came of a small but annoying group of vandals who called themselves the Knights of Ren and who caused destruction and damage to the public highway.

Not everything was ideal in New Alderaan, but Ben had the means to intimidate them without resorting to force. In fact, they were quite afraid of him because there were rumors circulating about his not inconsiderable talent with the sword.

Ben had taken fencing classes during college and trained almost every day in private, just for fun.

It took only a few curious climbers to see him in action, and his fame spread like wildfire. His considerable size and tall stature contributed to the fear of his enemies, even though he never raised his voice and never hurt anyone. 

* * *

Ben was about to discover that not every day was the same. Some, the special ones, began like the others but ended with a feeling of something different, the certainty that a change was about to take place, like when you can feel the stimulating aroma of wet grass even before the rain comes.

This was one of those days and it all started, as it could not be otherwise, with a book.

The small public library project was beginning to be a big success and that day Ben had to fulfill his role as caretaker. The shelves were all different and one particular inhabitant had taken care of printing his style on each one of them, trying not to clash with the neat and tidy aesthetics of the rest of the city and the surrounding nature. Ben had personally supervised the construction of each one of them with care.

The first stop was the box near the New Alderaan town hall building. The small bookcase, once used as a public telephone, had been recycled and fitted out to store books. A glass door was locked and protected the treasure from the weather, air and dust. A great friend of her mother's who was an art teacher, Amilyn Holdo, had painted flowers and leaves in bright shades of green, yellow and fuchsia on a black background. To Ben it reminded him of Amilyn's own hair, which could include all those colors at once. 

He ordered the books, satisfied that there were some new titles he didn't know about that he could read. He arranged them by size, from largest to smallest, checking that the spines were all the same distance apart even if they didn't touch the bottom of the shelf, and then he ran a finger over them as he used to do with his own collection.

One in particular caught his attention and his finger stopped over the specimen. At first he could not explain why, as he knew the story and had read it many times. But something in the book called to him, as if he were waiting for it.

He took the book out of his new home and looked at the cover carefully.

_The never-ending story._

_Michael Ende_

He couldn't help but suppress a smile, the story made more than one sense to him.

But his expression froze when he opened it.

The book was completely full of notes, words, and some drawings, as if someone had taken pleasure in using it as a notebook.

If anyone had witnessed the scene of Ben staring at the sullied book with his eyes out of his head, he would have run away in the opposite direction. The man's hands shook slightly and he had to take a deep breath to stay calm. Ben would have forgiven anything, even the vandalism of the Knights of Ren, anything but this.

He sat on a nearby bench so as not to scream. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them to look at the book again. He opened the first page carefully and on the back he saw a dedication.

_It's all right, he could forgive a dedication._

There were no names, just a short, curious phrase

_For my space girl.Love, Mom._

The following pages were covered halfway by loose words, underlined or highlighted in pen ink. The handwriting was irregular but Ben couldn't be sure it was sloppy. Something about the shape of the lines caught his attention; they were firm and decisive but rushed, spontaneous, like those of a person who can express his emotions openly and honestly.

_Not a person, but "she"._

But there was no more information about the mysterious criminal, the previous owner of the book. Ben was dying to find out about her, probably giving her a good lecture about caring for books. It could be anyone in town, of any age. Or it could be someone passing through.

Ben sighed resignedly, he had work to do. But somehow it was something different in his routine, a new obsession, something that would keep him busy.

He tried to look for more facts, but to no avail. He only looked at the date of publication which was quite old, about twenty years ago or maybe more. But that didn't mean anything and Ben knew that to find the sinister owner he would have to do a thorough analysis. To begin with he would have to read the book and the notes again in the hope of finding a name or an address between the lines.

For the first time, he broke his rule of swapping one book for another and put the copy in his backpack without replacing it on the shelf. He closed the door slowly, looking both ways to check that no one had seen him, and went to the next box.


	2. The Space Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fújur is also known as Falkor or Falcor for those of us who first knew "The Neverending Story" of film adaptations. In the original language (German) it is Fuchur and comes from the word Fukuryū (Japanese) which means "lucky dragon".

_"-But that is precisely the good thing. From now on, everything will work out for you. After all, I am a lucky dragon. Not even when I was hanging on the net had lost hope. And I was right, you see."_

_Michael Ende - The NeverEnding Story_

* * *

The girl jumped the last steps of the bus and landed safely on the ground at the side of the road. She had a habit of doing that when she was anxious or happy and even as an adult, she hadn't lost it completely.

There were not many passengers left to contemplate her feat, only the driver, who looked at her curiously and got off behind her to help her with her luggage, without comment.

The young woman looked around and her spirits dropped a little.

No one was expecting her arrival.

But she was not surprised; she already knew this was going to happen.

The problem was of a different nature. It seemed that the journey ended there, but it was in the middle of nowhere. At that point the route was divided into opposite roads and one of them continued to the next village, so - in theory - she had to keep going a few meters before she found traces of civilization. 

“This is it? This is New Alderaan?” The girl let out a faint trace of fear which the driver rushed to assuage.

“That's right, miss. The company's route only goes so far, but the village is five kilometres down that road over there.” The man confirmed her suspicions by pointing to the concrete path which seemed to be melting on the horizon and then adding, “The alderaanians live a little isolated from the world but they are quite nice people.”

The man took out a large suitcase with the label _Niima, R._ and left it beside the girl while he looked at her with genuine concern.

“It's a long way, don't you have anyone to carry it?”

She bristled at the tone of the man's voice. He probably meant to be kind, but she was not going to show weakness or dismay. For most of her life she had done things alone and was not going to start asking for help at twenty-five. Least of all from a stranger.

However, she was too kind to respond in an unpleasant way, so she invented a pretext for the man to leave with a clear conscience.

“They may have been a little late, but they'll be here any minute. Thank you very much for your service!”

The driver nodded and turned back to the transport. Once at his post he waved and the young woman watched as he drove away until there was only a little blue dot in the distance.

She took a deep breath and analyzed her situation. In addition to the voluminous suitcase, she had a hand bag with his essential belongings: a gigantic wallet, a backpack loaded with books and of course, hidden in a box was _Fújur_.

The little white cat had endured the journey without complaining, collaborating with his protector who was not sure how the transport company would take the fact that she was carrying an extra passenger without a ticket and without a seat.

But she and the cat were inseparable and in the end everything had turned out quite well, considering that the trip was long and exhausting for both of them.

The tender animal received its freedom with a meow of relief and stretched its legs to disentangle itself, but it did not leave its shelter, perhaps out of mistrust of its new home.

Earlier, she approached to read a sign he had not noticed before.

_Welcome to New Alderaan._

_Founded in 1938_

_By Bail Preston Organa and Breha Antilles_

“Good. Let's do this, Fújur.” The girl piled the rucksack and wallet together with the camouflaged cat cage on top of the big suitcase which had a couple of small wheels. To be honest, it wasn't that much luggage but the disparity in formats made it uncomfortable to handle.

But after doing a couple of meters very proud of herself, the young woman felt a pull when one of the wheels broke off because of the excessive weight. She couldn't help but grunt with indignation.

_This isn't turning out the way I imagined._

“All right, we'll use our heads. What do you think, _Fújur_?”

He mewed in response something which sounded like, _What makes you think I would help you anyway?_ and the young woman sat down on the broken suitcase with a thoughtful air.

She could tell her grandfather that she had arrived, but it would be no use. She did not know him, he was a complete stranger, and surely her presence there would not be funny to him.

_What was she thinking in coming here?_

She certainly had no choice. There was nothing left for her on Coruscant, no place to live, no friends who cared about her, not even a job.

Learning only a few months ago that she had a grandfather she had never heard of was a temporary relief from her problems. She clung to that with enthusiasm and said goodbye forever to the life in the capital, which she would never miss.

She had nowhere to go, she didn't belong anywhere. He didn't care about _New Alderaan_ or anywhere else to start over. But at least he had a relative there.

_Family. Grandpa._

How strange that sounded.

The scenery, at least, was beautiful. She thought eagerly that she could live on the side of the road, hunting small animals for food and gathering fruit from the mount she saw in the distance. She would make a shelter out of her suitcases and some branches use her clothes as a pillow, and _Fújur_ would help her keep her sanity.

But the cat was the most rational creature in that strange pair, and he wagged his tail nervously to distract his mistress from such extravagant ideas.

“I know, my friend. We won't do anything like that.” She stroked his head affectionately. “ What would I do without you?”

The rising sound of an engine frightened the animal and alerted its owner.

A green utility van with a simple cab was approaching from the road where the bus had left half an hour before.

The young woman stood up and the vehicle stopped a few meters in front of her. She approached to ask for help, even though the idea of needing it did not cause her the least bit of grace.

But her fears were allayed by the sight of a jovial-looking woman in the driver's seat smiling sympathetically at her. The girl had black hair and slit brown eyes, and she wore a clean but not new light blue jumpsuit with her name embroidered on her chest.

“Are you lost? Do you need a ride?”

“Are you from _New Alderaan_?”

“Yes, my name is Rose. Rose Tico.” Rose reached out to introduce herself

“I'm Rey Niima.”

“Welcome!” Rose opened the door. “Get your things up quick, I'm a little late for work, not much, but my sister gets angry easily.”

Rey threw her stuff in the back anyway and went up to the cabin with _Fújur_ in her bag.

“Oh! And what is your name?” Rose stroked the cat who squirmed with joy.

“Rose, meet my great friend _Fújur_.”

“ _Fújur_?” Rose lifted the animal to brush its nose with her muzzle

“You know, like the lucky dragon.” Rey was sorry to be so extravagant but at the same time she felt comfortable with Rose, as if she didn't have to explain herself.

“It's beautiful! I think it suits him.”

Rose gently deposited Fújur on her skirt and started the car. Seconds later Rey received with joy the warm breeze that came in through the low window of the glass and reached her face. Summer was saying goodbye and the mixed aroma of herbs and flowers flooded her senses.

The sun was almost setting, so Rose took some glasses out of the glove compartment to protect herself from the glare.

The newcomer had short, luxuriant hair. In the dim light of the sun there were reddish glimmers on the dark brown and a series of freckles splashed on the bridge of her nose and her cheeks.

Rose looked at her out of the corner of her eye with curiosity. She was not shy with strangers, but unlike most of her countrymen, she did not like to meddle in other people's affairs. Her new companion was very beautiful and seemed nice.

There was something special about her that comforted her, as if she knew they would become good friends.

Yet it was Rey who broke the silence. She felt that she owed her new friend some information in return, at least as an attention for taking her.

But she wasn't the kind of person to suddenly introduce herself. The years and experiences had resented her a little and she felt strange when she had to break the ice. That's why she had _Fújur_ , the cat was kind of her calling card. And not everyone liked cats, but apparently Rose did.

“That about before...” Rey pointed back to the approximate place where she had been sitting with her bags. “I assumed that I could get there on foot, the transport office didn't tell me that the centre of town was so far away.”

“I don't blame you, it's usually a very attractive march to take, if you like walking… Where do you come from, Rey? What brings you here?”

“My last home was on Coruscant, but I've lived in a lot of places since I was thirteen.”

 _Good_. Apparently she was determined to entrust irrelevant information to the person she had just met ten minutes earlier. 

_New unique ability to add to the list._

“Do you like to travel?”

“No. Foster homes.” Rey shrugged her shoulders as if to disregard it. “I'm an orphan.”

_Now comes the look of pity. The same one as always._

“I see.” Rose focused on the road ahead. “My sister and I lost our family at _Hays Minor_ and all we have is each other. I think I can understand how you feel.”

Rey was grateful for her attempt to make her comfortable with a smile that came from the bottom of her heart and made the tension between them dissolve forever.

“I only have my grandfather left, although it's been a few months since I heard about him. Perhaps you know him. He lives here, but he doesn't know I've come. His name is Sheev Palpatine.”

Rose changed her expression, it was a split second but Rey could sense it. She seemed puzzled but then something made her understand and she took a carefree tone.

“ _Old Palps?_ I didn't know he had kids!” He looked at Rey to offer some kind of explanation. “You say you don't know him?”

Rey shook his head. He was beginning to worry.

“What's he like?”

Rose seemed to analyze her words for a moment and finally spoke.

“He's quite a character here; we don't treat him much because he hardly relates to anyone. He is something of a hermit and lives alone in one of the most impressive houses in the village.” Seeing Rey's dejected face, Rose added. “But don't worry! He's not some kind of monster or anything. I think your company will do him good.”

“Thank you... I should announce myself as soon as possible, but I'm delaying the moment. You know, it's not every day your daughter's only offspring shows up to tell you she's moving in with you. She might not even accept me.”

“You mean, you don't have secured housing? You don't know where you'll be spending the night?”

“I was thinking of finding a hotel and checking in with _Fújur_ until I got some work and then...” While listening to her hollow sounding words, the weight of reality fell on Rey.

She had been in a hurry, as she always was, and the adventure that had seemed so wonderful to her weeks before was now threatening to bring her to tears.

_No. She had gotten into worse things and always came out on top. This would be no exception._

“There's a hotel, it's actually a couples' motel.” Rose sneered. “But I don't recommend it. The cleanliness leaves a lot to be desired.” Her face suddenly lit up. “Hey! Why don't you stay with Paige and me? We have an extra room with its own bathroom, and I'm sure we'll find a more than suitable place for _Fújur_.”

He gave her an enthusiastic meow and looked at Rey as if he were trying to convince her.

“I don't know, Rose. I don't want us to be a bother...”

“Nonsense, it's done. You're staying with us!” Her new friend was radiant “You'll see how I'll get you a job before the end of the week. I'm good at these things.”

Rey wondered what she meant by "these things" but was overwhelmed by her spontaneous kindness. After all, the fame of the alderaanians was well deserved.

“Tell me, Rey. What were you doing on Coruscant? What can you do?”

“Actually...“ The young woman made a mental list of the jobs she had done in recent years and discarded the most extreme ones so as not to shock Rose. She had nothing to be ashamed of, a job is a job after all, but she wanted to make a good impression on her friend. “I'm pretty good at fixing things. From cars to small appliances.”

“You are?” Rose couldn't help but show disbelief but regretted it for fear of offending Rey. “You just don't seem like the kind of person who... I mean, I assumed you were a model or an actress or something.”

A loud laugh erupted from Rey's chest and infected Rose immediately. The two laughed for a while in complicity and that simple, natural gesture sealed their friendship forever.

As they went along, the first houses began to appear in harmony with the rural landscape and soon became true neighborhoods of firm but unpretentious constructions.

 _New Alderaan_ was a young and booming town. Everything there provided a feeling of progress and respect for the environment, as if its inhabitants had understood the potential of nature without giving up some comforts and without ruining the place. The gardens of the houses were bordered by small woods, and numerous trees appeared intermittently on the sides of the road.

“Hey! Rose!“

A passerby waved her to stop. Apparently he was an acquaintance of her new friend. But from the way she looked at him, it didn't seem to be a pleasant surprise.

“Finn! What do you think you're doing? We agreed that you would take my shift until I got there, you know how Paige gets when...”

“I'm sorry! I fell asleep!” The dark-skinned young man leaned against the window of the truck and wanted to peek out his head when he noticed Rey's presence, reaching out his hand through Rose and putting almost half his body into the vehicle to introduce himself “Hello! I'm Finn.”

“How do you do, Finn? My name is Rey. Are you a friend of Rose's?”

“More like I'm her intern... -I mean, employee. We worked together at the gas station,” Finn looked at Rose, assessing her mood. “Rose is the best mechanic in cities around!”

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow

“You really think you're gonna suck up to yourself with me like this?”

“Fine! I'm leaving! But this is the last time I'm going to clean up your messes, Rose.”

She adopted a gesture of genuine indignation.

“Let's not even talk about yours!”

Rey thought the altercation funny. They seemed to be good friends in spite of everything.

It was indeed a beautiful place. _It would be their new home._

Rey only hoped she could stay there long enough to enjoy the peace that seemed to reign there. She hoped she would never have to run away again.

* * *

But Rey found the next day that she could not take anything for granted in _New Alderaan_.

The news of her arrival had spread quickly as she settled into Rose and Paige's house, perhaps at night as he slept comfortably next to _Fújur_.

The villagers' talent for making up stories was surprising. But Rose had warned her about it before entering the house, advising her to ignore the comments. They certainly meant well, but gradually Rey would have to discover that she could not trust everyone and her circle would become a little tighter.

Her friend had promised to accompany on her creepy first visit to her grandfather, but at the last minute she apologized because she had a job she couldn't put off any longer and gave her precise directions to get there safely.

Finn had offered to look after _Fújur_ and Rey was reassured that she had left him in good hands. The animal had a gift for conquering everyone.

_Something she didn't possess, it seemed._

When she found out whose granddaughter she was, many looked at her with wonder and curiosity. Rey noticed as he walked down the little-traveled central avenue that many people even stopped and watched her as if she were an elephant that had escaped from the circus.

They looked like owls, turning their heads at impossible angles to get a better look at her. Rey would even have sworn that at least one of them could have dislocated its neck during the maneuver.

But it might discourage her. Although she was used to the anonymity of the city, even to the total disregard among people that sometimes became an absolute disrespect that in no way could justify the instinct of survival. For years she had dealt with all kinds of people, expecting nothing in return or expecting the worst every time she was forced to need them.

But not everyone had been bad to her, good people existed in every corner of the planet and Rose was an excellent example of that.

A woman of short stature and advanced age appeared in front of Rey. She seemed to have some trouble with a cart full of bags whose wheel had got stuck on the curb.

_Apparently this place hates luggage._

Rey came over to help her. Being suspicious in no way was going to keep his good nature from coming to the surface. In fact, she had some sort of talent for detecting people's intentions even before they manifested themselves, allowing her to walk away before it was too late.

“Let me help you.” Rey offered a smile to the old woman and without waiting for a reply he lifted the cart and pulled it up to the approach. Then she took out a screwdriver from his wallet and loosened the wheel so that it would turn again. Rey never went out without his tools, pity he didn't have spare wheels for his suitcase.

“Thank you, dear!” The lady's wrinkled face lit up in gratitude, and then she looked at Rey intently, straight into her eyes. “Oh! You are… Of course… Same eyes, different people.”

Rey assumed to herself that the woman was the prey of some fantasies and did not dare to ask her anything else. But before going any further, he smiled at her and bowed his head.

Even though she didn't want to think about it, she did it for a long time.

But she didn't want to draw any conclusions, it was still early and she had a grandfather to meet.

The road to his house was long but exquisite.

Once the last houses were left behind, Rey watched with delight as hundreds of butterflies flew across the vast flower-filled meadow. The day was a bit overcast so the glare was not as intense, but Paige had lent him a funny straw hat to protect his face.

Rey realized that he was already twenty-five years old and had never worn a hat.

As she thought about it, her feet led her to the flower field. She could not resist the magnetism of its beauty and it was as if something else was leading her there.

During dinner the night before, Paige had mentioned almost jokingly that _New Alderaan_ was a _magical_ place, but Rey had taken it as a metaphor and now she understood that perhaps the girl was referring to what was happening in front of her at that moment.

Ever since she was a little girl, Rey had felt a special attraction to fantasy. She managed to get all sorts of story books that he devoured avidly. She had a weakness for fairy tales and grew up thinking she was the heroine of those stories.

She never imagined herself as the damsel in distress that simply went against her temper. Rey saw herself wielding a sword, fighting monstrous creatures, defending entire kingdoms and ruling with wisdom and courage.

She did this for years because her life was so different from those stories.

And as she grew up she reserved a small but precious part of her heart for that place where she felt so happy, safe, protected.

Rey looked up at the sky, so magnificent that she could not resist the urge to lie down on the grass to see it better, and as if it were a world she could reach out to, she stretched out her hands to try and touch it.

Her favorite stories were those of knights and armor, mysterious wizards, curses, and intrigues of power. But the ones she liked best were those that included spaceships on top of all that.

Her mother used to tell her tenderly that she lived on another world, in a different galaxy, in a faraway space, and she fed her imagination with many more stories.

The memory of her mother's sweet voice stained the moment with irremediable sadness and Rey let out a lonely tear with her eyes lost in the immensity of the sky. Crying was forbidden, she hadn't cried in years.

_Never show weakness, never ask questions._

Suddenly a dark shadow partially covered her field of vision and she had to react quickly to prevent a huge man from stepping on it.

He startled himself and put one hand to his chest as if fright had knocked his heart out of its socket. He looked at the woman who seemed to have come out of the bowels of the earth, her hair uncombed and full of grass, a straw hat slipping down her back and a dismayed look in her mouth.

_She was as beautiful as a dryad, Persephone herself._

But there was nothing divine about the cry of indignation that escaped her lips.

“Hey! Be more careful where you walk! You could have crushed my head!” Rey shook the grass off her clothes and instinctively walked away from the subject, to study him carefully.

He was tall, taller than her, and his pale face stood out with long, loose black hair. Under a nose of considerable size he had generous lips on which Rey stared a little longer than one might consider polite. His eyes were brown with golden sparks under a pair of eyebrows that seemed to be constantly furrowed in an angry gesture.

The stranger took off his headphones and Rey noticed that he was carrying a small book in one of his hands and carrying a backpack on his shoulder.

He seemed to be thinking through his words carefully, as he glanced at it. He looked upset, surprised, and a little displeased.

He did not even bother to apologize, much less try to introduce himself.

Finally he spoke and his voice sounded strangely abnormal, as if he were making an effort to control himself.

“And how was he supposed to know you were there? What the hell were you doing?” The subject's indignation grew and his voice shook a little with anger, but Rey felt that there was a little fear in it too.

The stranger was a little right. The grass was tall enough to hide her from view, but Rey did not give in.

“And who would think of walking absent-mindedly through the middle of a field?” She pointed to his headphones as if they were the irrefutable proof of his guilt.

He rushed to put them in his trouser pocket with obvious annoyance and looked at the young woman with suspicion. He had to admit to himself that she was right, but there was no way that he would indulge the obstinate little woman by admitting it out loud.

He decided to go on his way, passing her by. The day was just beginning and he was already in a very bad mood. With a very unattractive snort, he began to take great strides away from her as soon as possible.

Rey stood there, a little bit stung and offended by the ungentlemanly attitude of that subject, but she turned her back on her and headed in the opposite direction from him because the distraction had not only upset her, but had also delayed her.

If that was one of the _magical_ experiences Paige was referring to, Rey had had enough for one day. The man seemed to have come out of nowhere and out of all the places he could walk, he had chosen that one.

However, she had to recognize that his appearance had awakened other things besides the first impulsive fear.

“Bah! He's a hateful man!” She tried not to think of him, without much success, while she spoke aloud as he was accustomed to do in the presence of _Fújur_. “Anyway, what sort of a fellow can walk, read, and listen to music, all at the same time?”

Rey would find out sooner than she imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The choice of the book for this story was the result of much internal debate. "The Neverending Story" (1979) is a book by German writer Michael Ende and was released in a version that we will surely remember for its beautiful soundtrack (it is from 1984).
> 
> But the book abounds in characters and is very different from the film I know. It's about those stories that you can read as a child but understand better when you're older. A book within a book.
> 
> That's why some of the following chapters will have some references to the book, without avoiding much of the story of our main characters, but which I will explain in detail. 
> 
> Finally, I would like to add that my interpretation of "The Neverending Story" is absolutely personal and opinions and criticisms are welcome. I think there are many points that can be related to SW, but we will go step by step!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading! I'm really enjoying writing lately, although I have to get back to the routine. I'll try to update at least once a week.


	3. The Prince of New Alderaan

_"Atreyu had been brought up by all men and women together and was the 'son of all', while he, Bastian, had no one at heart... He was a "nobody's son". In spite of everything, Bastian was glad that, in this way, he had something in common with Atreyu, who, unfortunately, was nothing like him, neither in his courage and determination nor in his physical appearance. And yet he too, Bastian, had undertaken a Great Quest that he did not know where it would lead him or how it would end._

_Michael Ende - The Neverending Story_

* * *

Ben walked exactly ten paces before turning his head, unable to avoid it, to take another look at the mysterious and disrespectful girl.

He watched as she walked away in the opposite direction and had to suppress the urge to scream or going after her. He could not justify that impulse and he really did not want to find out where it came from.

He forced himself not to think about it for the moment and continued on his way to the village, he had more important things to do. Like continuing to investigate the marked book that he was carrying everywhere and he was obsessed with it.

But in spite of everything he could not stop thinking about her beautiful hazel eyes that seemed to give off greenish sparks when they noticed him.

_Who was she? What was she doing there?_

She probably wasn't from _New Alderaan_ because Ben didn't remember seeing her before. Although that was not a condition, since he did not know all the inhabitants nor did he have any desire to do so.

He wasn't going to think about her small, freckled nose or her pink lips either, and he wouldn't wonder what it would be like to kiss them.

Under no circumstances would he evoke the feelings aroused in him by the sight of her disheveled hair, covered with little flowers, and he would definitely not try to guess what its scent would be or how his fingers would feel entwined in it.

It would be better to think of the annoyance his high-pitched, angry voice caused him and his unattractive, murderous look.

No. None of that seemed to be working. In fact, thinking about the most annoying details only increased his interest in the strange woman.

The day was just beginning and he already felt the grumpiness creeping up on him. He put his headphones back on and tried to relax to his favorite music.

He still had to meet with his uncle Luke, as he did every Wednesday of the week, to discuss the design of _The New Republic._

He never liked the idea too much because his uncle was even more picky about details than he was and had a very particular way of pointing out the mistakes of others, without admitting his own. Ben recognized that this was perhaps a trait of his family.

The newspaper had been published digitally since Internet was set at the town, but there were still the newsprint fanatics who bought some of the tiny physical print. And this brought many problems for Ben, who had to change the articles at the last minute according to Luke's whims and had to add errata, one after another, until he reached a number that was ridiculous.

Luke was actually his mother's twin brother, but it was easier to say they had different fathers than to explain the intricate network of relationships. They had been separated at birth, each ending up in different families, and this was for years the best kept secret in _New Alderaan_.

The Lars family, a farming couple from a neighboring village, adopted Luke. They were loving but strict with him and hid his true origins from him for years.

Leia's parents were the patriarchs of _New Alderaan_ , not her biological family. However, she did not know this until she was older; almost at the same time that Luke found out they were brothers.

Their father played a major role in the destruction of the ancient homeland of the Organa and many other people in the region. Hiding the truth was the best way their protectors found to shield the children from the rancor and hatred of their compatriots.

The connection between them was strong in spite of the precautions and this made them meet again even with all the possibilities against them. Together they discovered that their father had made bad decisions but something good prevailed in him and in his last minutes he made up for almost a lifetime of pain. His children then began a true crusade to clear his name, trying to repair the damage with progress and hope, paving the way for future generations.

Leia had dedicated her life to the people of her new homeland, putting aside her own domestic happiness first. Luke helped her in any way he could, especially after the tragic accident that took the life of her brother-in-law Han.

A large part of the villagers were so grateful for the generosity of their local "royalty" and for Leia's performance that they simply did not believe the rumors or took them too seriously.

There was another, more conservative side, which was not entirely happy with what they called the mayor's "double talk" and her stagnation in power for years.

These were the anonymous readers of _The Dark Side_ , of course.

Ben knew its author, Sheev Palpatine, slightly enough to get a general idea of the subject. He imagined him night after night locked in his house, typing uncontrollably into his computer to write the most fantastic conspiracy theories about the most important people in _New Alderaan_. And the Organa-Solo family was his favorite target.

Palpatine had the power to captivate his audience with his words, as if from an imaginary stage he could convince an audience of anything. Ben had to admit that his state of insanity was a bit fascinating. And many believed him, which is why The Dark Side had its digital edition in the form of a blog that had a high hit counter. Some of the town's businessmen had not hesitated to pay for advertising on his site.

Ben didn't care what he said about his family, he just knew that everyone was trying to do the right thing, even when the apparent calm around him seemed to be getting stronger every day.

He also had secrets to his credit that he preferred not to reveal, and he knew better than anyone else that it was not advisable to remove the past.

Somehow he carried his grandfather's legacy in his blood. Ben felt his emotions often change, and he made a great effort to master them. It all boiled down to a great polarity, a kind of chasm within him that had been there for as long as he could remember.

Light and dark. Emotions that had marked his life forever.

Luke had a special hatred for _The Dark Side_ and its author. Ben did not know the full story but was sure it had something to do with the past, even before he was born.

Maybe his enmity had something to do with the J.E.D.I. thing that was disturbing Luke. Ben preferred to avoid the subject because when his uncle started talking about it, no one could stop him.

He could hear the mantra in his mind and imagine the finger pointing at an invisible board and the solemn look:

_Justice, Equilibrium, Discipline, Integrity_

The concepts themselves were not attitudes alien to Ben's own life; in fact he tried to apply some of them whenever he could. What bothered him were Luke's fanaticism and the way he said it.

It was really insufferable.

He had no choice but to collaborate with his uncle out of deference to his mother, and he would do so until one day his patience ran out or he found someone else to bother.

Ben had risen early, as he did every day, to take his usual walk. He especially liked the field of flowers that surrounded _New Alderaan_ and marked the boundary of the town with the largest properties.

Luke's house was a bit out of the way, near the _Wuitho River_ , and he hadn't found it there. Ben didn't think it was a waste of time anyway because the day lent itself to long, thoughtful walks with music and reading that he enjoyed very much.

And he could add to all this the unexpected surprise of meeting a certain magical grassland fairy.

His expression was clouded by the memory of her, but he could not spend much time thinking about the young woman. He was almost home, and Luke waited for him with a look of anxiety on his face that Ben had never seen before.

“Finally! Why weren't you home? You didn't remember that it was my turn to come...” Luke followed him while Ben passed by with a boring gesture and opened his door.

“Morning, uncle. I'm glad to see you too.” Ben opened the door and waved him through, without any emotion in his face to affirm his words.

 _Of course he'd forgotten_ , he wasn't going to admit it out loud. For the last three days he had thought only of the dismal book and of discovering the identity of its previous owner. He was neglecting many things and losing focus on reality.

He would have to get to the bottom of that and soon.

But first he would have to put up with his uncle for a couple of hours.

Luke ignored his nephew's coldness.

“Have you heard the news?” Luke had that anxious look again that irritated him so much.

“Obviously not, but you're going to tell me anyway, aren't you?”

“Why are you so bitter, Ben?” Luke gave her a scolding look and kept talking. “A girl arrived in _New Alderaan_ yesterday and you'll never guess who it is.”

A cautionary alarm went off in Ben's mind.

“What girl?”

“Her name is Rey Niima, she's Palpatine's granddaughter. Can you believe it?”

“Why shouldn't I?”

“Sure, sometimes I forget how young you are. You were just a kid when Mara left _New Alderaan.”_ -Luke seemed to lose himself in her memories for a moment and then added “No one knew of Rey’s existence until yesterday. Apparently the old man wasn't expecting her either.”

“This is all fascinating, uncle... What's it got to do with us?” Ben was being more obnoxious than usual, because the mention of the girl had reminded him of the woman he had met only half an hour before. Was it the same person?

“Nothing, really. Or maybe everything. We won't know until we meet her.” Luke shrugged his shoulders and adopted a grim expression. “I hope she's different from her grandfather.”

“I doubt so. Why are you so interested in her?” Ben was actually getting more and more interested in her.

Luke didn't respond right away. He seemed to be struggling with some emotions, which Ben found very curious. After a few long seconds, he spoke.

“I was very fond of his mother, I never really knew what happened to her. “ A shadow of pain slightly covered his eyes. “I'd really like to meet her daughter.” Then he added with encouragement, "Did you know that Mara was a great supporter of the J.E.D.I.? Perhaps Rey and I can have a little chat about that...

_"Of course that's why. What else would it be?"_

Ben swallowed his words and cast a mental curse that didn't improve his mood, though it helped him to endure the heavy task of listening to his uncle.

_"Fuck the J.E.D.I.!"_

When he finally closed the door behind Luke, Ben leaned against it and took a hand to his forehead. An intense headache had lodged right in the temple on the right side.

He went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water and take a painkiller. His migraines were known enemies, the aftermath of a chronic, poorly healed illness from his youth, which only disappeared when he agreed to take the medication indicated. But he was so stubborn that even in that he resisted with all his strength.

_«Well, I don't have the patience to endure it today. »_

He took the pill, swallowed it with a lot of water and stretched out on his couch with his head on one of the armrests. The pain was beginning to subside. He decided to wait before having some lunch, because the sickness was upsetting his stomach a little.

He still had a few hours left before going to work. Classes hadn't formally started and he had to take some tests. Maybe he could check her notes about the book later, which didn't leave his thoughts even during his discomfort.

As soon as the pain subsided, he got up to look in his backpack for the book along with the notebook he had reserved for gathering information. He kept a careful record of what he found, as if it were a real methodical and scientific investigation.

He did not stop to question the fact that he was taking too much trouble with the matter, nor did he regret wasting his time on such tasks. Something in those pages pulled him hard and he felt like the protagonist of a thriller.

Ben knew that the stories he read were more interesting than his own life. At least there he could act like a hero when he knew he wasn't really anything like that. At least there he didn't have so many regrets.

He didn't do it to find a culprit, he didn't want to find the perpetrator. The marks in the book, the pressure and the ink stroke, meant more to him. He felt a kind of connection with the person who had left his mark on the pages.

There was something special and magical in reading a story that had been read before, in following the line of someone else's thoughts, in witnessing the concerns that haunted him as he began his adventure.

It was like walking hand in hand with another person who probably felt similar emotions before him as he read the same words he was reading now, as if they could communicate through sentences and time. And with this particular copy, underlined and written, he truly felt accompanied by someone else or something else, that which had placed the book in his hands in the first place.

Smiling at the task ahead, he set to work.

_The Never-ending Story_ was a classic known to him. He had read it many years ago and reread it several times, finding new meanings each time. It was not necessarily a story for children, as the levels of meaning accumulated in overlapping layers that he discovered with the same pleasure as an archaeologist as he read.

It was not difficult for Ben to identify with _Bastian_ , with his love of books and fantastic stories. He was particularly fascinated by the author's strategies for depicting the way the young hero immerses himself in fiction, literally and figuratively, to emerge from it changed, being himself but different, at the end of the book. He thought it was wonderful, because that's exactly what happened to him with some stories.

In a first reading of recognition days ago, he had noticed that not all the pages were written, in fact there were whole chapters that didn't seem to have been read at all. Elsewhere his previous owner had drawn small flowers and tiny imaginary characters that reminded Ben of medieval book illustrations.

The edition was of excellent quality, had some plates in the center and each chapter began with a capital letter beautifully decorated with plant motifs that were definitely the inspiration for the drawings of its former owner.

In order to organize his work, he decided to leave the drawings aside momentarily and concentrate on what was written or pointed out. In her notebook, she transcribed those words that were significant to her or the paragraphs that were completely marked.

There were some random numbers, maybe dates; Ben was not sure what they meant. The colors of the ink were variable, as if the person had used many pens or written it in different places at different times.

He was encouraged to think that the book was the inseparable possession of its owner for a long time.

And he had to admit that the book was not in as bad a condition as he thought at first. There were no deletions, no torn pages, the pages were not stained but were yellowed, which made him suppose that the last line had been written many years before.

Of course, all this was relative and Ben had no tools to make a deeper study. He was being guided more by his feelings than by logic.

It was difficult not to superimpose his own mental images as he read, and he was even surprised to find similarities of thought with his mysterious reading partner.

He was slowly building a profile of her owner, whom he called “Space Girl”, in reference to the dedication at the beginning of the book, because that was the only information he had about her. Next to those words, in his notebook, he also wrote down the questions he had and hoped to answer them soon.

_Who is Space Girl?_

Ben pressed his own pen again and again to highlight each letter of that sentence, while he thought absently about other things that had nothing to do with his research, like a pair of brown eyes and the name that was etched into his mind.

_Rey. Her name is Rey._

Time flew by unnoticed, his headache no longer tormented him.

Ben felt the urgent need to go for a walk again. The fresh evening air would be great to clear his mind and he did not rule out the possibility of meeting her again.

The thought produced a pleasant fluttering in his stomach that translated into a smile and a series of little chills on his back.


	4. The lost herder

Rey arrived at her grandfather's property almost without realizing it, distracted by devoting too many unhappy thoughts to the man she had just met a while before. To tell the truth, she was not angry, but confused. She didn't know what to think of him and couldn't explain the irremediable desire to know his name.

She shook her head as if with that gesture she could also get rid of the hateful subject and his not at all unpleasant pale and serious face. She had to summon up all her willpower to stop thinking about him and concentrate on the interview ahead.

Rose had explained to her that Palpatine owned several properties in _New Alderaan_ but Rey was not impressed that her grandfather was rich. She didn't know exactly what to expect from him, so she hoped to meet him and get a better sense of his personality. Nor was she able to extract much information from Rose or Paige, as it seemed that their unique relative did not attend many social events and was handled by a secretary, and that little thing she could find out was enough to worry about.

But she considered herself an optimist person and wouldn't believe the rumors until she saw them with her own eyes. She had to free herself from prejudice before she arrived. After all she knew absolutely nothing about her grandfather, her mother never spoke of him. She was not so naive as to think that there was no adverse reason behind her mother's attitude, but she would have to face it sooner or later.

Convinced that she was the heroine of her own adventure story, Rey took a deep breath of fresh country air and felt much better. The dirt road was dense and there was no wind to whip up the fine red dust under her feet. Autumn was just beginning, and the temperature was so pleasant that she felt very comfortable in a light, knee-length dress and a cardigan, as well as the borrowed hat that she crushed a little when she dodged her strange grassland friend. She had been careful to make a good impression, choosing her favourite clothing, so that at least she would not have to worry about her appearance. Only two elements contrasted with the formality of the outfit and gave it that spontaneous touch that was so typical of her: her flowery slippers and her small green gabardine bag full of essential items, which she wore crossed at hip level.

It wasn't a long walk, but she had to brake many times to avoid turning in the opposite direction and returning to the comfort of Rose's company. So it took a little longer than she had initially calculated and the sun was very high when she reached the edge of the village, right where his grandfather's house started.

The house was of imposing size but its exterior appearance was a little neglected. It was surrounded by a high fence that extended beyond the view to the horizon. The grounds were certainly vast and well protected.

Unlike the building, the garden was impeccable and Rey could see through the fence a variety of trees and shrubs with flowers of all kinds, some protected by scale greenhouses.

But nothing prepared her for the unfriendly reception of a couple of Rottweilers who pounced on her when she leaned out to open the imposing metal door.

Unable to advance a step for fear of being attacked, Rey stood by without moving a muscle, waiting for someone to appear.

“Canady! Pryde!” Seconds later, a loud voice tore through the air and magically the dogs stopped. “Who's there?”

Rey stepped forward a little, still looking suspiciously at the guard dogs. An old man came out of the house and she assumed it was her grandfather, or she hoped it was him.

“Are you Sheev Palpatine?” She turned to the man who was dressed in a kind of cape, a hooded robe, long as he was. Rey was startled when he looked at his squinting, affiliated gaze and seriously considered running away.

But the sinister character only raised his head and looked at her attentively, without answering her question.

“My name is Rey Niima, I am your granddaughter.“ She went a step further, as if in some sort of question and answer game. But no answers for her. “My mother's name was Mara, I'm her daughter.“ Maybe that wasn't her grandfather, maybe Rose had shown her the wrong way or she had got lost.

The old man's pale, wrinkled face could not hide the yellowish glow in his eyes, and Rey was a little frightened by the aura of evil around him. She did not expect to find a grandfather like those in the stories; in fact he did not even know what he had been waiting for. But she felt an immediate rejection by the person a few feet in front of her, and she found it hard to feel any affinity with him because she could not find any physical resemblance to her or her mother.

The man's hostile expression changed when she told him her name, and instead he composed a grimace of disbelief that further disfigured his features.

Rey regretted what she was doing, although hope forced her to remain there, in front of that sinister character who looked like the villain of a movie and who had not yet admitted to being his grandfather, with the certainty that he needed a little more time to get to know him and he her.

But every word he said was loaded with suspicion and contempt.

“Really? How do I know you're not an imposter coming after my money?”

Rey was really hurt by the answer. She didn't know how rich her grandfather was and didn't care about it. But instead of letting herself be overcome by anguish, she felt a growing anger inside her that colored her cheeks and was unable to suppress it, filling her with courage.

“Listen, old man, I don't care if you are the King of Naboo! I have come because I owe it to my mother and nothing else, so please tell me, are you my grandfather or not?”

At least she shouldn't be sorry that someone heard her scream in that unseemly manner because she was totally out of her mind.

As they felt the intruder threatening her master, the dogs showed their teeth and began to get so close that Rey had no choice but to retreat.

“Stop!” The old man raised a hand and shouted the command firmly. The dogs stuck their tails between their legs and sat down with their heads down. “Come closer, child.”

Rey had no desire to obey, but she did anyway. Some of the courage that had gone before, some of it still remained in her anger. She climbed the steps of the impressive property but kept a safe distance away, ready to run away if she had to. Everything indicated to her that her grandfather, that old man in the black cloak, was a dangerous person.

Now she understood why her mother had never mentioned anything about his existence.

Once she was close, he scrutinized her with his eyes and smiled with a grimace that she found arrogant. At least his snake eyes seemed a bit more human. Perhaps Rey read too many stories and was beginning to confuse reality with fantasy.

Apparently satisfied with the examination, he extended his hand to her but Rey did not move and the old man did not seem offended or surprised. He was content to throw another sarcastic smile at her and turned around, inviting her in.

“Go ahead, follow me.”

The young woman had gone too far in her stubbornness and would not let herself be overcome by fear. In the end, curiosity overcame her, and something she could not identify pushed her into the venerable mansion which, to her surprise, seemed to be in much better condition than its outer facade.

Rey wondered if she really needed all this experience, if she really wanted to know a part of her story that for some reason her mother had not revealed to her. She certainly didn't get off to a good start with her grandfather, but that wasn't going to stop things from taking their course and it would be better not to get upset without knowing what he still wanted to show her.

“Rey? Is that your name?”

She nodded briefly and looked regarding her as she followed the old man. The rooms were enormous and decorated with fine furniture of style, reflecting the good taste and prosperity of their owner. The windows were closed with thick curtains that completely concealed the sunlight and the gaze of the curious who dared to stray so far from the village as to enter Palpatine's affairs.

It was cold in that place, but Rey attributed it to a kind of climate that had nothing to do with cycles or seasons, nor with the absence of a small ray of sunshine. It was the cold of oblivion, penetrating the bones, persisting in painful memories, oppressing the heart. There were no happy memories in that house. 

On the walls were alternating portraits of characters that she could not recognize or distinguish, but they were many and all had the same haughty gesture and the same yellowish eyes. Rey felt as if they were talking to her, as if they were reminding her that she was not welcome in that place.

Palpatine stopped before the last of them, the largest in the room. A very young girl posed with an empty stare behind the spectator, sitting on a luxurious couch, and behind her a rather older man was resting a pale, thin hand on her shoulder, in a gesture that could be protective or possessive. There was no doubt that the eccentric character was her grandfather because he had the same self-effacing smile that Rey had just met and already detested. It was him, with fewer wrinkles and greyish hair.

“Is this your mother?” The old man stared at the woman's face in the life-size picture and then at Rey, as if assessing the great resemblance between the two.

“It seems so.“ Rey could hardly breathe from the impression, it was like looking in a mirror.

Her mother should be the same age in the painting as she was now, perhaps a little less. It would probably have been commissioned shortly before Rey was born, because she remembered the blue dress her mother always wore and which the painter had immortalized in the portrait. In fact, that dress was one of Rey's most precious possessions, the only thing he kept from Mara.

“Good. I just wanted to make sure.” Palpatine turned to her. “You have her eyes.”

It was true. The skillful artist captured perfectly the green glow of her mother's eyes, the same intense color that Rey had when she was angry or happy. In the painting, however, there was an infinite sadness of a caged bird that oppressed her stomach.

“Follow me.” Palpatine waved her down a long dark corridor to a carefully arranged room which appeared to be his living room and office.

Rey could not speak a word for some time, and was lost in thought. She followed her grandfather like an automaton, definitely intrigued by him and the portrait.

“Sit down.” She obeyed while he rang a bell before taking a seat in a comfortable armchair with ears in front of her, looking at her suspiciously.

An older, dour-looking woman with a flawless uniform materialized on the threshold.

“Bring us some brunch.” The woman nodded and withdrew as quietly as she had arrived.

Rey felt she had to say something, offer him some sort of apology. But apologize for what? Maybe he expected a reaction from her, but her throat was dry and her voice sounded a little shaky when she could finally articulate a word.

“I'm sorry I came in so suddenly.” Rey took a breath and continued. ”But I want you to know that I have not come for any other reason than to meet you.”

Palpatine raised an eyebrow in a studied expression of false curiosity, but added nothing more.

“I heard the rumors in _New Alderaan_ , but I'm not interested in knowing about... the nature of your activity.” Rey omitted to tell that the image he projected was perfectly suited to them.

Her grandfather remained impassive, so still that she feared for a moment that he had died with his eyes fixed on her.

A chill ran down his back. Would his grandfather be able to read her thoughts?

“Maybe you already know, surely you know...” Rey continued to speak. “My mother disappeared twelve years ago but I learned about you a few months ago from certain documents that appeared and belonged to her.”

Palpatine finally showed signs of life, only to criss-cross her fingers in her lap, pretending to show attention and slightly curving her mouth at the corners.

“I do not know the nature of his relationship with my mother, but I have traveled from far away to meet you...”

“That’s a lie”

Rey looked at him in astonishment, a little furious at the interruption.

“You have nowhere to go, my dear. You are alone. That’s the only reason you've come.”

The cold, calm tone with which he said those words hurt Rey as if it were a dagger. She jumped to her feet just as the woman from before came back in with a tray full of food and looked at Rey with disapproval.

The old man waved her back to her seat as he served himself tea with all the patience in the world, with great ceremony almost ritualistic, without taking his arrogant smile off his face.

Rey obeyed the order but felt increasingly oppressed by the presence of his grandfather. If she felt that way just by spending a few minutes with him, how would her mother have felt for almost a lifetime with Palpatine? Would it have been different when Mara lived there?

“You're here because you want to know what really happened to your mother.“ The implicit meaning of that sentence definitely caught the young woman's attention. He continued in the same icy tone. “But it's too early for that, Rey.“ Palpatine paused and pointed to the food. “Go on, eat.”

At the table there were small sweetened biscuits and colored macarons, delicacies and cakes of all kinds that Rey would die of wanting to try in a more harmonious context. But breakfast time had long since passed and the nausea in her stomach forced her to refuse the offer with all the kindness she was capable of, given the circumstances and the coldness of her grandfather.

“As you wish.” Palpatine noticed her discomfort and did not bother to relieve it, instead he kept looking at her to test her strength and patience.

But Rey was reaching her limit.

“You just... What did you say about my mother?”

“Patience, girl. All in good time.” The old man stirred his tea for a long time as if it were the most important thing in the world. “You can call me Sheev, or Gramps if you prefer.”

The young woman swallowed hard, she could not call him grandfather. Grandparents weren't so scary. Were they? What did this man want from her? In her confused mind, an idea came through like lightning and she ignored her relative's request for family treatment.

“Those documents... It wasn't my mother's will that I come. You lured me here... Am I right?” Rey tried to remember the name of the lawyer who had called him months before to tell him about his mother's last will. “That man...”

“My lawyer, Mr. Snoke, may have exaggerated about the existence of certain documents and their contents” Palpatine was apparently happy with her granddaughter's shrewdness. “But it all turned out rather well for you, you should thank me.”

“How could I..? Are you insane?!” Rey exploded with anger again, more intensely than before. Palpatine had deceived her in the worst way, using her mother as a decoy. And she took the bait without realizing it.

The old man seemed to be offended, even having the effrontery to take a hand to the heart in a dramatic gesture. But he could not deceive Rey with that act of feigned outrage.

“Dear granddaughter, what kind of way is that to treat your old and venerable grandfather who wants only the best for you?”

“You don't know me, you know nothing about me. You have no right to do what you did!” Clenching her fists until she was almost hurt, she rose again, and this time with determination, to find her way out.

Her grandfather's voice stopped her, with the same effect it had on his canine guardians.

“And yet, for some reason you're still here, you couldn't help wanting to meet me.” Palpatine slowly left the cup on the table without tasting it and fixed her attention on the brown liquid. “You want to know something you've always known but refused to see... if it's true that she disappeared that day...”

“Silence!” Rey turned to face him and tried to cover her ears so that she would not have to listen to him, but his strange dominance over her prevented her from moving.

“You want to know why your mother abandoned you.”

Rey had to get out of there, as soon as possible. It had all been a mistake, a huge mistake. One of catastrophic proportions. She no longer wanted to listen to that dark being who was her grandfather and the poison that flooded his words. She needed to run away.

The sunlight blinded her for a moment when she left the luxurious mansion and the guardian animals did not flinch at the sight. She ran a few yards to the entrance gate and once on the other side he leaned against the wall to get some air. She held back her tears as long as she could and walked away promising herself that she would never set foot in that hideous place again.

Rose's workshop was just at the other end of the village, so the way back would give her time to collect her thoughts. And she really needed it, her mind was spinning like crazy. She felt Palpatine's gaze nailed to the back of her neck as she walked away.

She would have wanted to tell him many things instead of running away like a coward who didn't accept the truth, but she wasn't ready and her grandfather hadn't been exactly tactful. The shot was accurate, right where it hurt the most: her mother and the doubt that had eaten away at her heart but had been buried layer by layer over the years.

The memory of the fateful day when she saw her mother for the last time struck her unavoidably. It was a sad memory, the saddest of all.

_But there was Rey at just eight, arriving home from school. The door was open and the inside looked like it had been hit by a hurricane. Drawers on the floor, papers and books smashed no trace of his mother anywhere._

_She called her worried and scared, in vain. She waited because she did not know what to do and was afraid that something had happened to her._

_Her blue dress was there. Rey remembers because for years it convinced her that her mother would not have left without the dress she loved so much. But now she knew that was just childish nonsense and she was no longer sure of anything._

_Later that day a neighbor arrived and called the police. Rey remembers some terms they used to refer to a robbery but none of that explained her mother's disappearance and in time she forgot what they said that day. What he couldn't forget was the pitiful look on the officers' faces, which was forever etched on her face._

During the years that followed, almost the other half of his life, Rey grew as she could and was very lucky to find people who helped her along the way. There were others too but her instinct guided her as a kind of guardian angel and what she had to do on her own she did quite well, always keeping a part of herself with everyone, for fear of being hurt again.

As an adult she survived by doing all sorts of jobs that kept her and _Fújur_ alive, whom she rescued from the streets a few years ago and became part of her family.

And all that, had worked out quite well. Until today.

Why had she dropped her defenses so early? How had her grandfather managed to manipulate her that way? And worst of all, she wanted to know the truth. _Palpatine was right._

Rey couldn't believe, really couldn't, that she had some of her grandfather's evil in her blood. She made an effort to evoke her mother, her strange behaviors, in light of the information she now had about her previous life. Perhaps he hid many things from her that caused her pain, but Rey was happy with her mother, with her she lived a true fairy tale.

 _"You are alone,"_ said Palpatine, and she knew that was true too. Why did she pretend to find affection in him? Why had it occurred to her that her grandfather would welcome her with open arms? Why had he taken so much trouble with her? What did he want?

Many more questions occurred to her, but only one simple answer. She needed to believe that she was counting with someone, she wanted to stop feeling alone at least once. She had nowhere to go back to, no home, never had one since her mother disappeared.

_She was alone._

At that point she could no longer walk, and the course of her thoughts led her off the path a little, leading her to the side of the road in what appeared to be a small grove of trees. She had no idea where she was, but she didn't care much about it either. The rumor of a nearby river barely stirred her dreary emotions and she sought shelter from the sun, sitting down to cool off. It was time to use logic.

She wiped away her tears and considered her options.

She could return to Coruscant, find a new job and a place to live. She could contact her former pensioner Unkar, but she was not on good terms with him and in fact the nefarious character was also another reason why she fled the city in the first place.

She could choose any other destination but that one, she would take _Fújur_ and the few belongings she had. She still had a few savings and the money would be enough for a ticket away from _New Alderaan_ but she suspected it would be in vain. No place would be far enough away from her grandfather's reach.

In a way she was trapped there. Not only because of the concrete facts of survival, but because of the desire to know the truth about her mother, which was even stronger than her instinct for self-preservation.

She was not yet deciding what to do, but in the short term she was counting on Rose to help her get a job there. She resolved not to tell her friend about the entire interview she had just had and his half-hearted revelations because her pride prevented her from provoking pity. She wouldn't hide the contempt his grandfather held for her but hoped to stay a little longer there to find out about her mother's past by other means. Surely many of the old settlers would know something about her and tell her something if they trusted her.

It wasn't the best option, but it was the only one she had. Rose had offered to help her from the beginning and their selfless friendship was a good reason to stay.

Hours were passing and the sun was already casting long shadows on the trees. Rey never knew how long she sat there playing with the fallen, yellowish leaves while he put her thoughts in order. Hunger warned her that it was late and that Rose would surely worry if she did not appear soon.

The sound of footsteps and the rustling of leaves and branches on the ground alerted her that she was not alone. For a moment she feared it was her grandfather, but she dismissed the idea immediately, no less surprised to see the last person she expected to meet again that day.

To be fair, Rey did not know many people in _New Alderaan_ , but she was pleased to cross her eyes with the man she had met earlier, before the episode that darkened her hours.

As he approached, she remembered the incident and realized that she had been rude to him. Perhaps she didn't want to look like her grandfather and was presented with an opportunity to right her wrong. Or maybe it was he who had come to apologize. She couldn't be sure, but with her spirits so dramatically diminished the intruder's presence had the opposite effect to what it should have had, she even felt happy to see him again.

Or perhaps she was happy to see a familiar, friendly face. One that she was beginning to like too much.

He was a stranger, but something about him inspired him to be calm, and she had to make a tremendous effort not to let out her sadness and cry the tears that still lingered on the broad shoulders of his scheming companion. That would have been strange, because she never showed her vulnerability.

He stopped just a few feet in front of her and smiled at something that could be a relief or a joy similar to the one she was feeling. Did he want to see her again?

“Should I assume that this little forest is your home, or are you just following me?” Rey did not recognize the words that came out of her mouth in a provocative tone, but she let herself go a little.

The unexpected question seemed to puzzle him a little, but he recovered immediately and answered with a broad smile.

“Perhaps.”

Rey raised an eyebrow in disbelief, there was no trace of the attitude he had had with her hours before, he was calm, at peace. The girl could not help but be attracted and intrigued by the change, so she offered him a peace offering. She noticed that he no longer had his backpack or headphones with him, so she concluded that he must have lived nearby.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot.” The young woman stood up to keep up with him or he would get a stiff neck from the effort of looking up. “I’m Rey.”

“Ben.” She noticed that he didn't know what to do with his hands and decided to hide them in his jacket pockets, suddenly uncomfortable. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

A small shadow of anguish passed in front of her eyes, but Rey was adamant about hiding it.

“Maybe. And you?” She didn't want to take the conversation into such personal territory, although he probably already knew who she was and what she was doing there.

Ben looked at her in a way she couldn't make out, but made a comforting warmth speed up her pulse even more. His voice was almost a whisper when he answered.

“I think so.” That's all he said.


	5. Perilin in New Alderaan

_He looked into the Childlike Empress’s eyes. And once again, as at their first exchange of glances, he sat spellbound, unable to take his eyes off her. The first time she had been deathly ill. Now she was much, much more beautiful. Her torn gown was whole again, the soft-colored light played over the pure whiteness of the silk and of her long hair. His wish had come true._

_Bastian’s eyes swam. “Moon Child,” he stammered. “Are you well again?”_

_She smiled, “Can’t you see that I am?”_

_“I wish everything would stay like this forever,” he said._

_“The moment is forever,” she replied._

**Michael Ende - The Never-ending story**

* * *

When Ben left his house that afternoon with the idea of clearing his mind, he didn’t expect to meet Rey again. Of course he wished for it, his steps led him near the place where they had almost collided that morning with the unconscious purpose of seeing her again, but he did so without expectation because he believed that such things only happen in movies or books. And apparently also in _New Alderaan_.

For a moment he didn't find so strange the assumption that there was some sort of magic there.

His curiosity about the young woman only increased after the conversation with Luke about her secretive background story. And if that wasn't enough, a voice whispered inside his head, almost as if it were a hunch, that the presence of Rey was related to the sudden appearance of the book that had him obsessed.

Ben was not the kind of person to act impulsively, so before developing a firm theory, he needed proof. He thought it best to forget for the moment those associations that were so illogical and partly so profitable for his desires. Without completely discarding, he relegated them to the realm of fantasy, perhaps some of the crazy dreams with which his imagination tortured him.

But there they were, facing each other, and the sensations that she produced to him were not illusions taken from a dream, nor could he explain them by means of logic. There was no need for that, Ben was happy to be in that place as if she had drawn him in with the force of a spell.

As beautiful as his fleeting encounter allowed him to remember, Rey looked at him curiously after the brief presentation. He deliberately left out his last name because he did not want her to judge him beforehand by the gossip of his neighbors, and he wholeheartedly wished that he could get to know her in the same way too, even though he knew perfectly well who she was and what kind of person his grandfather was. She would find out sooner or later who his mother was anyway, and hopefully the darkest rumours about him would not reach her ears.

Ben realized as he approached that the young woman's mood was not the same as it had been in the morning. The clenched fists, the look lost on the floor, and red eyes indicated to him that something had happened and he could swear she had been crying as he walked slowly so as not to frighten her.

Rey was not well, but she tried to hide it. Ben wondered why she was doing this, but he suddenly remembered that he was a stranger to her and maybe she didn't want to show weakness to someone like him. However, this did not diminish his concern for her and all he wanted to do at that moment was to comfort her, to make her feel better.

But what would she think of him if he came one step closer? Ben wasn't going to do anything like that, it was already completely unbecoming of him to chase strange young women across the prairie, and he didn't want to add anything else to his list of eccentricities.

Besides, she'd be scared, screaming and running, in the worst case she'd even hit him, and rightfully so. But the worst thing would be that he would lose the chance to see her again.

On second thought, it was already quite strange that she hadn't done all that yet.

Ben took a deep breath, he had to calm down. Resorting to the precepts of the J.E.D.I. would be quite appropriate, given the circumstances.

Rey moved a little uncomfortably and totally oblivious to the emotions stirring inside his partner. She thought that Ben was getting upset for some reason although she did not know what it was. Maybe she was trespassing on someone's private property, the people there did not fence in their yards, except for his grandfather. Maybe Ben had come there in search of solitude and peace, just like her, and her presence there was bothering him but he was too polite to ask her to leave.

Before he had time to react, a high-pitched, uneven beep, like the sound of a broken machine, tore them both out of their reflections. The noise was not part of nature and seemed to come from inside Rey's backpack, increasing in volume as she reached for and pulled out her cell phone.

Silently thanking it for the timely interruption, she looked at Ben and shrugged, feeling that she owed him an explanation for her choice of the extravagant droid-ringtone, but it would have to be later because a rather worried, female voice was speaking to her through the device.

Ben took a few steps away to provide privacy, which was quite difficult in the middle of a forest, so he could not help but overhear much of the conversation.

“I'm fine, Rose!” Rey turned her back on him and started walking in big circles. “I took a little longer than I had planned, that's all.”

Ben noticed that ahe was clenching his fists again and her back was tightening. The mention of Rose didn't surprise him because his uncle had told him that. He was reassured that Rey was in the hands of a good friend.

“No, I'm not lost.” Rey turned suddenly and looked at Ben, turning away immediately when his eyes met. “No, really, don't worry about me. I'll be right there.”

With a smile that was probably for her friend, she cut the call and threw the device anyway into her bag.

“Nice to meet you, Ben!” Rey started to walk away quickly towards the dirt road that led to the village.

“Wait! Can I go with you?”

The young woman was surprised and hesitated for a couple of seconds before accepting with a big smile, but it was enough to make Ben regret opening his mouth. The way she thanked him with her eyes, however, was enough to end his doubts. Overcoming his shyness was another matter.

“I'm going to Rose Tico's workshop.”

Ben nodded vaguely, implying he knew where it was. He knew Rose well and in fact they were both very good friends, but for some reason he did not want to reveal that information to Rey. His relationship with the young mechanic was peculiar and dated back many years and an episode they had agreed not to mention again. He was very fond of Rose and did not want to betray her trust because he did not know how deep the relationship between the two women was in so few days.

Besides, Benjamin Solo had no friends, or that was whispered behind his back in _New Alderaan_. He took advantage of the rumors to be left alone and preferred to remain that way

“Great!” Rey put her arms in jars and looked around. “Actually I told Rose that I am not lost but the truth is that I don't have the slightest idea where I am.”

“You're practically in my backyard.” Ben spoke without any intention of being arrogant and had the effrontery to smile halfheartedly, but Rey got a little bit pissed off anyway.

“I'm sorry, I didn't see any fence.” She raised her chin so high that Ben had a perfect view of her nostrils. “You should put one in.”

“No one here usually does that, except those who have something to hide.” Ben shrugged his shoulders and Rey's shoulders relaxed. “But I suppose it's not a bad idea.”

“Hmm... That explains why I can't stop bumping into you.” Rey spoke more to herself as if she were talking to _Fújur_ , but she didn't worry about Ben listening to her. And if he found that unusual, he didn't comment on it.

“I know a shortcut through the woods.” Ben tried to make his voice sound casual as he pointed to a group of very tall, leafy trees. The concrete path was hardly distinguishable, integrating with the surrounding vegetation like everything else in that beautiful place. “It's the fastest way to get there.”

But he knew it was not only that and immediately regretted having made the suggestion.

Because that place was also the scene of the worst tragedy of his life, the one that changed his course forever. It was there that his father lost his life, and out of respect for him, hardly anyone travelled that route anymore.

Rey noticed Ben's change of attitude but did not dare to ask because his tense face discouraged any curiosity. So why had he offered to accompany her if he found it odious to do so? Was it that in that place everyone was a prisoner of appearances?

Of course Rey was unaware of how special that path was for Ben and decided to ignore his hermetic attitude because she needed to get to the workshop as soon as possible and not cause her friend any more trouble. She dedicated herself to admiring the environment with astonished eyes because she loved nature and its gifts. Not for nothing did she always carry a notebook and some pencils in her bag, it was a real shame that she didn't have time now to observe and make sketches, but she could always make that journey again some other time.

The trees formed a kind of roof, a yellow and green dome that filtered the last rays of the sun, producing warm tones and collaborating with the nostalgic effect that the place had. They kept their leaves in spite of that autumn was late and some birds could be heard singing to return to their nests. In fact, the place seemed to be alien to the rhythm of the outside world, as if they had suddenly entered a fantastic world.

Some plants were growing on the ground, right in the space between the concrete and the trees. Rey recognized some plants in the distance and others not, but many of them had colorful flowers that she had never seen before and she was dying to draw them. Some insects came and went, for them it was like a small paradise where no one could disturb them.

Ben and Rey were like intruders in that place, each immersed in his own thoughts.

Although after the first few seconds without speaking they became minutes, the two began to feel a little uncomfortable, as if it was urgent to fill the air between them with questions that neither of them dared to ask aloud but that they surely had.

Ben didn't find the silence unpleasant because he could manage his emotions without having to worry about talking, but he was afraid she would be bothered by the furtive looks he was giving her. He couldn't help it, she was fascinating and exasperating too, because she stopped every ten steps to look at some plant, despite having told him she was in a great hurry.

He tried to calm down, took a deep breath again and hid his hands in the pockets of his light-grey suede jacket so as not to make the gesture of running them through her hair, trying not to smile because he never did it very naturally and he imagined that it would be frightening for Rey. He kept his eyes firmly on the horizon as if there were nothing more important, while he thought desperately of something to say.

Time seemed frozen for them alone, the day was getting longer than usual. The fact that Ben had commitments that very afternoon did not matter much to him, and for the first time in his life he would have gladly changed a handful of students eager to take their final exams for Rey's company.

A graceful throat-clearing motion intended to attract his attention managed to distract him, and Rey's soft voice ended the silence.

“So, Ben. Have you lived here for long?”

He turned his head in her direction to answer, but the tone in which he did so was a little haughty, or so it seemed to him.

“Since I was born.”

“You mean you've never been out of _New Alderaan_?” Rey would not give up, not even if he was determined to be aloof.

“I studied at Chandrila for a few years but I don't know anything beyond the cities of the Core.” He seemed to be a little more relaxed, he could even muster the courage to ask a question as well. “What about you?”

“Oh, I've lived in so many places I've lost count.”

Rey looked away, but for a moment Ben detected sadness in her hazel eyes. She tried to keep him from realizing what her words meant. He was dying to ask, but he knew that this was not the time to do so. He didn’t want to turn the walk into an interrogation because it could turn against him.

But the scent of the flowers of the place and the light painting everything with intimate warmth made him forget for a moment where he was and he only concentrated on the young chestnut that was quickly getting under his skin.

“And what brought you to such a boring place like this?”

“I'm sorry, but I've been told that very interesting things happen here”

“It's true, I've never heard of people coming out from under the ground before. Until today.”

They both laughed spontaneously and that helped to break the tension that kept forming between them. His heart stopped for a second and something similar happened to her. But the joy soon turned bitter.

“I have come to meet my grandfather.” It took a moment before she could go on, as if she had trouble pronouncing the name. “Sheev Palpatine.”

“Oh” Ben knew it, his uncle had told him, but he didn't have the courage to acknowledge it in front of her. How would he explain that her name was on everyone's lips in _New Alderaan_? How would he tell her that he knew some things about her too without being nosy, or worse?

“Do you know him?”

“No, not in person.” Measuring Rey's frown, he hurried to add. “It seems that your family and mine do not get on very well. In fact, we shouldn't be talking at all.” He added with a hint of mischief.

“What do you mean? Would we be some sort of Romeo and Juliet?”

Ben broke out laughing again, anyone who saw him at that moment couldn't recognize him, not even his mother. What was going on with him?

“Although to be honest, I'm not surprised. I don't think there's anyone who could like him.” Rey kept talking as if he were reflecting out loud. Ben couldn't agree more, the old man was the least loved person in all of _New Alderaan_.

“I see, you've just come from meeting him.”She answered his statement by nodding her head and pursing her lips in a fine line. For a moment he thought she was going to say something else, but she didn't.

“Everything I know about him has been told to me by my uncle, who is not exactly an objective informant.”

“Your uncle? You think he might have known my mother?” Rey slammed on the brakes and forced him to stop.

The longing question struck a deep chord with him. Rey was carrying a great weight that he was struggling to contain. At the mention of her mother, her voice trembled a little.

But Ben wasn't quite sure he wanted her to meet Luke. He felt a little selfish, but he would have liked to keep Rey in those woods for as long as possible. As soon as she set foot out of there she would find out many things about him, some not entirely wrong, and he felt a desperate desire that she not judge him, as everyone else did.

Of course Luke met Mara, and Ben knew that Rey's mother had been very important in his uncle's life.

That's why he decided not to commit yet, he knew it was inevitable that she would meet him soon.

“Probably”

“Listen, Ben, I know it's a bit of a rush to ask you this, but... Do you think you could introduce us?”

“Sure.”

Rey looked a little disappointed. Ben punished himself for being so stubborn.

“Forget it. Sometimes I say things out loud without thinking. It's a habit I have since I adopted _Fújur_ , he doesn't need to talk to let me know what he thinks...”

 _“Fújur_?”

Ben shook as if someone had shot him.

“I'm sorry, it's my cat.”

“Fújur? Like the lucky dragon in Never-ending Story?”

Ben moved forward until he was in front of her, his eyes wide open. Rey was looking at him with amusement and a little caution, perhaps she thought he was as excited about books as she was about flowers, but she backed away barely straightening her back as if her defenses had suddenly been activated.

She nodded silently.

“When exactly did you get to _New Alderaan_?” Ben's tone suddenly changed, even his eyes darkened a little. What was the relationship between Rey and the book?

But Rey didn't understand his emotions and had nothing to hide, so she didn't shy away from offering him an answer.

“Mmm yesterday afternoon. Why do you ask?”

Ben loosened his shoulders and walked away from her, aware of how close he was and a little startled. He thought he must be going crazy about the damn book.

But he didn't have much time to think about it, because he sensed a fleeting reflection in the distance, a presence that was out of place in that forest. Her eyes were fixed on something distant, behind Rey, and she followed the path of his gaze.

But she found nothing strange.

“What is it?”

Ben thought he saw a person there. No. Not a person but something more ethereal that disappeared in front of his eyes.

His imagination was definitely playing tricks on him.

“It's nothing. Let's keep going.”

Rey wasn't convinced by the answer, but she wasn't in the mood to argue. 

They walked another stretch in silence, but a shadow had fallen between them, as if the camaraderie had vanished. But Rey was not going to give up so soon.

“You seem like a good person, Ben.”

“And you seem to be too trusting of strangers. And you ask too many questions.”

She thought it was unfair the way he was behaving. Ben had wrapped himself in a shell again and was being cruel to her. Rey felt that his mood was growing by the minute.

“Hey, I'm trying to be nice to you. It's the least I can do since you've offered to join me when it's obvious you've done it out of mere courtesy.”

“Well, you shouldn't have.”

“Why not?”

“I don't have to tell you, you'll soon find out. Rumours around here are the preferred entertainment.”

“I see, is there anything in particular you'd like to share with me?”

Now it was her turn to stand in front of him, raising her height as high as she could until she was almost on tiptoe and putting her hands on her waist.

Ben was surprised. A rational person would have fled when he felt the threat, it had served him well before to scare people away but Rey was not like the others. She had courage, she was strong. And for some reason she was determined to stand up to him.

If it weren't for the sparks, anyone would have mistaken the closeness for a romantic moment. Ben bowed his head slightly to look into her eyes and brought his face so close to Rey that he could feel the warmth of her cheeks. The golden and green glints that he had scarcely seen that morning shone in all their splendor.

“The first thing you should know about this place is that not everything is what it seems. There are very few people here who would not try to harm you.”

“Don't worry, I can take care of myself.”

“I have no doubt about that.”

He looked at her lips and it was a mistake. Rey swallowed with difficulty but remained firm in her resolve.

“I think you insist on being sullen but you don't really want to do that.”

“I see. What else do you think of me?”

“That someone who is able to lose track of time and space while reading a book, walking and listening to music, all at the same time, should not be a person who meets in a single day.”

“That's what we agree on.”

“And that you're also trying to get away from everyone on purpose. Just like you're doing with me now.”

Something in her words hurt him and made him react. Moving away from her he ran a hand through his dark hair so as not to succumb to the desire to kiss her.

That would have been the last straw.

“You don't know me, Rey.”

What right did that woman have to appear out of nowhere and question the way he lived his life? But what bothered him most were how right she was and the fact that it only took her less than an hour to detect it.

“My mother used to tell me that there are bonds between people. Sometimes they're obvious and sometimes they're not. But in some cases you just feel it and can't explain it by reason. It's as if everything ceases to exist around you.”

“And what do you think?”

“Since I set foot in this place I've had to revise all my convictions, but I'm willing to do so because I believe there's a reason behind everything that I should be here and now.”

The noise of a car reminded them that they were on an asphalt road and they hardly had time to run to let the angry driver pass. Ben reacted with a quick movement and took Rey by the waist with both hands and threw both to the side of the path with a surprised shout from the girl.

The floor covered with vegetation protected them from the blows and neither of them was hurt. But inside, the mood was far from relieved.

However, Ben felt that he was on to something important. His mind was asking him to leave, but his heart was forcing him to stay there, spellbound by the eyes of Rey.

Neither of them knew how much time had passed, until finally he spoke the words and she thanked him sincerely.

“I will help you.”

Ben did not yet know how much more help he would receive.

* * *

_The Cobalt Squadron_ was a famous place in _New Alderaan_ and not only because it was the only mechanical workshop for miles around. The talent of its owners, the Tico sisters, to restore and repair any type of vehicle was well deserved.

With much effort they had bought the building that had been abandoned since the time of the town's foundation and that had previously functioned as a train station. Its strategic location, near one of the most important routes, made it a very busy place.

Although by the time Rey arrived, there was not much to do. The working day was almost over and everyone would be at home preparing dinner. But as long as the lights were on inside the workshop, some of the sisters would be working, because their strictness fame was the basis of the success of their reputation.

Rey no longer felt as alone as her grandfather had tried to make her believe. Looking affectionately at her new friends, she decided that Finn and Rose were a good reason to stay. After all, they had been kind to her, even though they knew whose granddaughter she was and the reasons that led her there.

And then there was Ben.

Rey didn't know much more about him and didn't want to ask Rose. Part of her delighted in keeping it a secret that she was going to reveal herself sooner or later in such a small town anyway. But her mind was racing, she had only seen him twice, and the recent walk ignited her curiosity. Although she had too many problems at the time to go about dealing with mysterious Ben. In fact, she hadn't realized that he hadn't told her his full name. Finding out things about him was going to be difficult if she wanted to avoid showing too much interest.

“And what did you think of him?” Rose lifted her head from the car engine she was repairing to question Rey, who had a blank stare and a curious look on his face.

“Who?” Rey reacted with a start, but immediately he understood that Rose was referring to his grandfather. “Oh," She said, grimacing with displeasure that she could not conceal. “I don't think we can get along, not yet.”

“I see.” Rose wiped her hands with a cloth and went over to her and gave her a gentle squeeze on the arm. “But don't be discouraged, you don't have to spend time with him if you don't want to.”

“Sure!” interrupted Finn who sat sprawled out on a chair the sisters used for resting. “You have us to amuse you, and we will introduce you to all the interesting people here, although there aren't many of them.”

Rey nodded, happy. She felt comfortable with them but reserved a part of herself that she did not show easily. They were good people, it was not their fault. Perhaps in time she could tell them everything, when she could mend the hole-filled web that was the story of her mother and herself.

“By the way, Finn. Your shift's not over for another fifteen minutes. Get out of here before Paige finds out!”

Rose made a threatening move with the wrench and Finn sprang out of the door, dutifully standing behind the counter at the shop next door.

“Rey.” The young mechanic left the tool on a shelf and turned her face towards it. Now that they were alone, she felt able to speak more intimately. “What do you plan to do?”

She waited for her friend's direct question and summoned up the courage to answer it. Now she was sure that some sort of spell had gotten her and _Fújur_ there and she would not leave until she found out. Her thirst for adventure did not leave her even after so many years and so many setbacks.

“Not to pressure you, but if you decide to stay, I have an offer for you.” Rose was anxious about Rey's thoughtful silence and could not contain her joy and the need for a friend ended all her discretion. But the plea was well received.

“Really?” Rey's eyes shone with emotion.

“You know, I've been thinking about expanding the business for some time now, and I could really use some help.” Rose shrugged her shoulders but did not try to hide her joy. “And it's perfect, because you told me before that you can fix anything, so I talked to Paige and we both thought that...”

“I'll take it!” Rey didn't let her finish talking and was already jumping for joy.

“It's great!” Rose started jumping too, giving little applause with enthusiasm. Anyone who saw them from the outside would think the scene was adorable and that they had known each other for a long time. After a pause, she continued to tell her plan. “Regarding the salary...”

But Rey interrupted again.

“I don't want to get paid.” Before Rose's astonished face, she continued. “ _Fújur_ and I are living in your house and we've already caused too much trouble, there's no way I could...”

“Nonsense. What kind of job would it be if you don't get any money in return?”

Finn had left his post and watched from the threshold with obvious amusement, gambling to see which of the two women was more stubborn.

“But, Rose, it's embarrassing! Then we'll find another place to live, it's settled.” Rey crossed her arms and adopted a solemn expression.

“Rey, don't be stubborn and let me explain. You will have a minimum payment and you will work on commission, the customers you get will pay you directly and it will all depend on how well you do.” Rey considered it but he wasn't going to accept it so easily. “t will be difficult at first but I sense that you love a challenge. And it'll be a good way to collect the information you're looking for.”

The last thing she said was quiet and Rey had no choice but to accept reluctantly. It was an excellent plan because she would feel worthy and Rose would get her much needed help.

“Okay. When do I start?”

“You could start by fixing the Prince's car.” Finn made his suggestion aloud, betraying himself outside his post, spying and receiving Rose's blank stare. “I'm just saying.”

“Finn, you know he hates that nickname. And the answer is no. I've made a personal commitment, I couldn't burden Rey with that responsibility.”

“What Prince?” Rey was a bit surprised, she didn't know there was royalty in _New Alderaan_.

“A friend of Rose's, that's his car.” Finn pointed out a _Corelian model YT-1300_ that was half-built over the pit. And then he added with a mysterious smile “The legendary Millennium Falcon.”

Rey did not find it worthy of a prince but she recognized the sentimental value. She could appreciate relics and treasures that no one looked at twice, and that ramshackle truck surely had many stories he was dying to know. Such models were no longer made and getting the parts would be a nightmare, but the Tico sisters' workshop was well stocked.

“I can do it.”

“Are you sure? Don't listen to Finn, you can start with something smaller.” Rose felt guilty but her voice was relieved.

“Yes! I've repaired a few similar ones at Mashra's workshop in Jakku. Leave it to me.”

“Have you been to the Jakku desert? But that's on the other side of the world. How did you get there?” Finn sat down on the couch again, more sprawled out than before.

“Finn! Where the hell have you been?” An angry Paige's voice rumbled into the next room.

“Maybe you'll tell me some other time!” Finn ran out again.

Rey marveled at the course of events. In a single day she had experienced a fairly wide range of emotions, if not all that were humanly possible. The future looked bright and exciting, her stability was assured and she would no longer have to worry about that.

 _"Beginnings are always dark,"_ her mother used to tell her, quoting from her favorite book. But for the first time, Rey could not agree. Because the sad encounter with his grandfather, dark and distressing, was balanced by the warmth and affection of his friends, by the promise of a bright present.

She would have to be patient, as the rhythm of that place imposed on her. She was where she wanted to be, she was beginning to feel that for the first time she belonged to a place, and she longed to know more about his and his mother's origins.

For so long she had avoided confronting the truth that she got used to living a messy, wandering life, when what she really wanted was to put down roots somewhere. It was not definitive, but it would be hers and _Fújur's_ home for some time to come. That was shyly whispered in her heart, which now danced at the memory of the tones of a certain deep, grave voice.

With Rose's friendly supervision she set to work fixing the car of Rose's enigmatic friend, the Prince whom she thought she knew nothing about at all.


	6. The space lovers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have a playlist with selected themes!  
> [Take my heart, Leave a book](http://open.spotify.com/user/an34ulo9l4jq48c9hf435wesp/playlist/3VAMkSUzeMnRQp5ZhqU7fD)

_“I wonder,” he said to himself, “what’s in a book while it’s closed. Oh, I know it’s full of letters printed on paper, but all the same, something must be happening, because as soon as I open it, there’s a whole story with people I don’t know yet and all kinds of adventures and deeds and battles. And sometimes there are storms at sea, or it takes you to strange cities and countries. All those things are somehow shut up in a book. Of course you have to read it to find out. But it’s already there, that’s the funny thing. I just wish I knew how it could be.”_   
_Suddenly an almost festive mood came over him."_

**Michael Ende - The never-ending story**

* * *

With so many emotions fighting inside her, Rey thought it would be hard to control her feelings when trying to rest, but she fell asleep before her head even touched the pillow.

She did not expect to dream about Ben either, but it was as if he instinctively had something to do with her state of relaxation, as if he was able to protect her from the nightmares that her grandfather Palpatine would surely have the power to provoke hours after meeting him.

And although the relationship between Rey and his new friend was still a little tense, she cherished the illusion of getting to know him better. She wished he thought the same, but she was not sure what impression he had made on him with her defiance and cheekiness.

To be honest with herself, she had to admit that she found Ben extremely attractive. Perhaps it was the air of sadness around him that made her want to embrace him, perhaps it was his amber gaze that denoted great power of observation and profound intelligence, or it was the tone of his apparently calm and grave voice that he strove to maintain and surely hid secrets that Rey was dying to know.

Thinking of that imaginary inventory of Ben's attributes, which would surely extend for hours, she fell asleep placidly with a smile on her mouth and a hand on her heart. And that night, when he appeared in her dreams, her mind added other more earthly aspects to the list, mixed with some things she already knew about him, such as the firm and secure touch of his hands on her waist, his magnetic proximity and the slight tremor of his lips,the warmth she felt in his voice when he promised to help her discover her mother's story.

The magic of New Alderaan had rewarded her with a fantasy worthy of a romantic movie, the knight who rescues the damsel from being run over by an irresponsible driver, the promising beginning of a story of love and misunderstanding. But in the realm of reality, Rey could have immediately gotten out of the way if she hadn't been so lost in those eyes, and she consoled herself by thinking that he seemed a little upset when they parted, as if he wanted to run away from there, to run away from her.

Well, perhaps it was best to keep her mind at bay and think of him as a friend, as someone who would provide her with information, as someone she should not get involved with.

But the dream had other plans, and it tried hard to by making it vivid for her.

_His hands rested on her waist as if there were no more natural place in the world, while Rey listened to Ben repeat "I will help you" without seeing his lips move. Or was it she who was whispering? She wasn't sure. Suddenly he brought one of his hands to the base of her neck, just behind her head with infinite softness, approaching with evident intention to kiss her. With his lips growing closer, she could feel the warmth, the taste that she would soon know and memorize..._

But none of that happened because it wasn't Ben's lips that he felt over her own, but something stranger and surprisingly soft that she couldn't identify at first. _Fújur_ reminded her insistently that it was time to get up, leaning his little paws on her face and the white head of the cat seemed to Rey a little deformed and gigantic in the nebula of dream and reality.

“Ouch! _Fújur_!” He protested with an offended meow and was more frightened than she was, jumping out of bed quickly. “Of course, why should I need an alarm clock when I have you?”

Rey lazily brushed the crusts from her eyes, remembering fragments of the dream and noticing that her throat was dry. She hoped hadn't snored so loudly or not at all, she didn't want to scare her new companions with that notorious musical talent. She checked on her cell phone that it was Thursday and there were still ten minutes left before the alarm went off. She looked at _Fújur_ with censorship, imagining what would have happened if her friend hadn't interrupted such a particular dream.

She reviewed in her mind what she had to do that day, while trying to find her place in time and space, sitting on the bed.

It was her first day at work in a new city, although she had been through similar circumstances a score of times. Starting over wasn't something she hadn't experienced before, but this time she felt different, this time she wanted it to work.

 _Fújur_ did not miss any of her movements as he patiently thought that his favorite breakfast would soon be ready. If not, there would be consequences, such as some leaky socks or maybe two. From different pairs.

The young woman tossed the blanket in one go and stood up like a spring, trying to remove the last traces of sleep and doubt with her trademark vitality. She took off her sleeping clothes and looked in her suitcase for something suitable for work.

Unfortunately he had nothing more presentable than a long, loose denim overall, which gave her a strange look but made feel secure in her body and movements. She never cared too much about her appearance, the main thing was to feel comfortable with herself and that garment had something magical about it that always brought her luck when she wore it, plus it was easy to clean and had infinite durability. She completed the outfit with a shirt underneath that was a little tight but added some seriousness to her classic black and white striping. That detail was the only thing that kept her from looking like a certain character in a horror movie from her childhood, at least this time she hadn't dyed her hair carrot color. She put on her only pair of flowered slippers and tied her shoe laces with determination.

She looked critically at herself in the small mirror on the dressing table and tied her hair with her usual three bows. Seeking _Fújur's_ silent approval, she decided she was ready to start the day and went downstairs, leaving the door to the room open for the cat to follow. Rose and Paige were not yet awake and that gave Rey time to look around.

The Tico sisters' house was small but cozy, although the living room alone was three times larger than the room at the Unkar guesthouse on Coruscant where Rey had lived for the past twenty months, the most time she had spent in one place in her entire life.

Her heart shrank as she looked lovingly at the small details that made that house a home. The curtains and cushions were of different colors and designs, undoubtedly hand-woven and affectionate, but together with the bedside tables and the comfortable armchairs that matched his coffee tables, they made it possible to breathe an air of good taste, practicality and simplicity.

Rey never really owned anything except a pillow, perhaps, and the few belongings she carried with her as she traveled around the world, from town to town, from house to house. And among them were the precious books she was unable to get rid of.

She approached the shelf to examine the sisters' books with delight, trying to discover which one belonged to which one. She was not surprised at the number of copies of mechanics, physics, even some of basic astronomy which were surely Rose's. The order and care was remarkable, it seemed that they were all new although Rey was sure that the young mechanic would have read them all and several times.

On the bottom shelf, the books were piled up chaotically. Economics manuals and thrillers were mixed in precarious balance. Rey assumed that this sector was Paige's and contained the impulse to want to accommodate them in her own way. With a smile he continued her journey feeling that she knew each one a little more now.

On one of the side walls she saw a photo gallery and recognized the sisters as children. Disguised or celebrating birthdays, but always together. She couldn't help but feel a little sad about remembering herself at that age, living from home to home, without staying long enough for anyone to worry about organizing a birthday for her, much less bothering to take a pictures. If she had any memories of that time, it was because some families tried to make her feel like a substitute for belonging, but Rey didn't keep any physical evidence of that and imagined that, if any, it would now be at the bottom of some junk drawer or in the margin of a family album with a question mark, and surely anyone who saw the little girl with the three buns would wonder about the little orphan girl who spent some time with the family but for no reason would remember her name.

An elderly couple appeared with Rose and Paige in one of the pictures, in the background a sign read "Welcome to Hays Minor" and the girls proudly held a pair of twin crescent-shaped medallions. Rey assumed that they were his grandparents, and he ran a longing finger over the picture, as if that gesture could replace hers with one of the two smiling characters.

The rest were close-ups of both of them, together or separately, sometimes together with Finn and other friends that Rey did not yet know, always around a table with a banquet and drinks, on the obvious occasion of a celebration.

But her heart skipped a beat when she found Ben looking back at one of the photographs, hugging an excited Rose with affection.

She certainly didn't expect to find him in that prestigious collection of family moments. What was his relationship with the sisters? Why hadn't he mentioned that he and Rose were close?

Rey took the picture down for a closer look. Rose was wearing a school uniform and had a diploma in her hand, looking like a senior at the time of her graduation. Next to her, Ben wore a sleek, flawless black suit that didn't reveal much about his role there, but he smiled freshly and had small wrinkles near his eyes. The difference in height was remarkable; Ben carried almost two heads to Rose and leaned in a little to get into the frame. The photo had nothing else on it but a blurred poster in the background, dated from a six-year old almanac.

A few quick steps up the stairs and then into the kitchen alerted her that the housewives had risen, at least one of them, and just in time she put the photo back in its place before Paige poked her head out of the doorway leading to the two rooms to greet her enthusiastically.

“Good morning, Rey! How did you sleep?”

“Perfectly!” Rey blushed a little as she remembered the dream and waited a few seconds to analyze Paige's face, hoping for some comment on her snoring, but she was relieved to get none. Instead, she handed her a steaming cup of Moogan tea with bantha milk and sat down on the couch to eat her breakfast.

But Paige had seen Rey before, examining the photograph, and since she enjoyed sharing her sister's stories, she had no qualms about bringing it up.

“I remember that day like it was yesterday, Rosie's graduation. Everyone thought she wasn't going to make it, but Ben and I always had faith in her. “ She sipped thoughtfully but without giving Rey time to ask any questions. “It was hard, you know? Our first year here. I don't know what we would have done without his help.”

“And Ben is, um... A friend of Rose's?” Rey tried to make her question sound uncompromising or intentional, but Paige was as perceptive as she was discreet and if she was bothered by what her tone implied, she didn't say it out loud.

“Oh! not that kind of friend “ Paige let out a little chuckle and Rey relaxed his shoulders that he didn't know he was tensing while he waited for the answer. “He tutored Rose almost by chance and they've been getting along ever since.” The young woman approached as if to reveal some confidence. “Everyone here is used to meddling in Ben's affairs and most of the things you will hear about him are nonsense. When you get to know him, he's a wonderful person. He was always nice to Rose and you could say I owe my sister's life to that guy.” Paige hid her face while she rushed the rest of the tea and then added thoughtfully:- "Besides, Rose hasn't fallen in love since...”

“Paige!” the other sister chose that very moment to appear; as if she had sensed that her sister was talking about her. “Stop entertaining Rey, we'll be late.” Then she looked affectionately at her friend. “Are you ready?”

“Of course I am!” Rey glanced briefly at Paige and she winked complacently, apparently happy to have talked to someone else for a change and leaving her more intrigued than before.

* * *

In the co-driver's seat in the van, Rey buckled up. Rose did the same thing in front of the wheel and then turned on the radio. The air was filled with the monotonous voice of the presenter announcing the temperature, followed by some local business ads that sounded remotely familiar to Rey from HER walk the day before. A melody, a classic from another era, began to play and Rose noticed her friend moving her lips without singing aloud and drumming her fingers on the board, a little distracted and happy.

Paige's revelations had increased her interest in Ben, and the curious thing was that everyone referred to him as if that were his full name. She assumed it was because he was quite famous. Either that or he didn't have a last name, which was unlikely, though it was strange he hadn't told her himself the day before. Was he hiding something? She knew very little about him and at the same time she felt as if already knew him. And Rey suspected that the secrets did not last long hidden in that place.

But the fact that she was curious did not allow her to be impertinent with Rose. Just because Paige decided to talk didn't mean she was allowed to harass her friend with questions. The sisters were quite different in character and it was clear that Rose was more reserved and cautious than her sister.

“We need to pick up Finn, I hope you don't mind.” Rose tore the Rey from her thoughts.

“Not at all. Do you do this every day?”

“It started out as a favour, but, you see...” Rose shrugged. “I think he hates walking.”

“Isn’t it a bit early for him?” Rey remembered that Finn's shift at the gas station didn't start for another two hours.

“Yes, but he loves to get there early to hear about the day's rumors with his friend Phasma, who works the night shift at the hospital and meets him for breakfast.”

Rey let out a laugh that reached her friend.

“They are very funny when they get together, who would say that in the past they hated each other's guts. I guess time puts things into perspective.” Before Rey could ask, Rose continued in unexpected verbiage. “Now they're off looking for a couple for everyone, considering themselves some kind of matchmakers. It's funny how some people avoid them but secretly request their services.”

“And what exactly do they do?”

“Everything that needs to be done. They write letters, send flowers. They once serenaded a man and Finn ended up with pneumonia from a bucket of ice water thrown at him by an old man to keep him quiet. Phasma is more discreet, she gets the information and spreads it around.”

Rey laughed heartily this time. But Rose grimaced.

“I wouldn't be so calm if I were you. I have reason to believe that you will be his next victim.”

“Me? But I haven't been here for two days! Believe me, I have no intention of meeting anyone right now.” The truth was that she could hardly stop thinking about Ben, so much that she forgot at times the real reason to have come there. ”What about you?” Rey immediately regretted her recklessness as she saw her friend's face darken. “I'm sorry, Rose, I shouldn't have...”

“It's nothing.” Rose regained her composure and changed the subject quickly. “By the way, I should tell you some things about the car you're going to fix and about its owner.”

Rey nodded, in respectful silence. She had heard some stories about that particular car, not for nothing did it have that curious name. It was famous for having driven around the Kessel circuit in the record time of twelve days, almost forty years ago. It was a race for lovers and fans of classic cars and not a sport in the strict sense of the word. Although the young woman suspected that it should have been at least fourteen days.

!You will discover that it is quite deteriorated, the truth is that it has been at the bottom of the workshop for years because its current owner did not know what to do with it.” Rose looked sideways at Rey and then looked back at the road. “ It was his father's.”

Rey vaguely remembered the rumors about the driver who won the race. Han Solo, famous for his crazy adventurous spirit and for not turning down any challenge, who married an upright young woman for love and retired from the world of sport to live with her and their son in some secluded corner of the world. Would that little boy be the prince Finn had mentioned the day before? What kind of person would he be?

Her memory was perhaps misleading, but she also remembered reading about his untimely death in a car accident surrounded by mystery.

But she had to save the questions for later because Rose indicated that they had arrived at Finn's house. Stopping the car on the opposite side of the road, she honked three times and waited patiently for her friend without turning off the engine.

“Good morning, ladies!” Finn got into the back seat and drove first to one and then to the other. “Thanks for the ride, Rose. How did you sleep, Rey? You still haven't regretted staying with us?”

“Don't make she consider it.” Rose looked at him with a warning in the rear-view mirror and then took the road back to the workshop.

“I'll stay, I've got a few things to sort out yet.”

“Perfect.“ Finn rubbed his hands together with a mysterious gesture. “Perfect!” He repeated.

“Second warning, Finn. Rey doesn't know you, and I've already warned him about your plans.”

He gave him an offended look.

“Rose, you can't deny it, Rey is perfect for him! -Can you imagine how beautiful his children would be? Phas and I have already looked for an app to get an idea, I just need a picture of Rey.”

Rey didn't know whether to be scared or flattered, plus she had no idea who the unfortunate mortal Finn was trying to match up with her. She decided to play along and not spoil her fun for the time being. Although she must have realized from Rose's eyebrows that her friend wasn't joking and that he took his hobby seriously.

“ Would you at least consider involving me in your plans? I'd love to know who you're trying to involve me with.”

“With the Prince, who else?” Finn looked at her like it was obvious. “I'm an expert, trust me.”

Suddenly there was a light in Rey's brain and the smile left her face.

“The Prince? You mean Rose's friend Ben? The owner of the _Falcon_?”

“Have you met him?” Finn opened his eyes wide and Rose turned to look at Rey with attention.

“N-no! No, of course not," she lied. “Rose was telling me about him before you arrived.”

“I see. Well, you'll see that Benjamin Solo is handsome as a real prince, not to mention that he's rich and he's the son of the mayor of New Alderaan. A great match.”

Finn was practically throwing out all the information Rey needed to hear and no one was able to stop the torrent he was becoming when he was in his element. Except Phasma, but unfortunately she wasn't there. The young man took out a notebook and a pen from his pocket and started writing down some things.

«Boy, does he take it seriously» thought Rey

Rose had her eyes rolled back. Finn continued as if nothing had happened.

“Let's see, Rey. What kind of books do you like to read? Ben is a professor of literature, a very prominent one, too much for this ignorant town, I'd say...”

“Finn, stop it. Don't you think you're being a little too clever? Let them meet first!”

“Okay, but you have to introduce them and give me credit for the idea when they get married.” Then he looked at the Rey. “Maybe you'll consider naming your first child after me, or something... “

“Finn...“ Rose tried to stop what she knew would follow.

“Are they not novelty material? Skywalker's grandson and Palpatine's granddaughter...”

Rey was bristling at the mention of his grandfather, and Rose decided that it was enough of a rush for one day. Braking the car in the middle of the road, which fortunately was deserted at that hour of the morning, she opened the back door and motioned for Finn to get out.

“Other you stop bothering Rey or you walk away.” Rose's tone had changed completely. “And apologize to her, please.”

For a few seconds the air became heavy and all sounds ceased.

“I'm sorry, Rey.” Finn put his head down and was genuinely sorry. His vitality suddenly faded as he considered his mistake. “He had no intention of offending you.”

“All right, take it easy.” Rey tried to hide her concern and became increasingly intrigued. What did Finn mean? Who was this Skywalker, Ben's grandfather? What did he have to do with Palpatine?

Trying to ease the tension and calm Rose, who had proved herself a faithful defender, Rey took both their hands and intertwined his fingers with hers.

“You have received me with affection and I will never be grateful enough. There are many things I still have to resolve, but I cannot do so without you, and I would hate to sow discord in such a powerful friendship. “ Rose nodded as her anger subsided and Finn looked up at her with hope. “No one has ever cared for me before, not the way you do. Now, I want you to make peace and we'll all start the day with enthusiasm.”

Both friends looked at Rey as if she had grown a second head. They had expected any reaction from her but that one. Rose thought Rey was a treasure. Finn mentally reinforced their matchmaking plans but none of the three touched on the subject the rest of the way.

Rose put her foot down as the radio gave them a catchy and fashionable song that all three sang with passion, forgetting the quarrels and remembering that it is at times like this that it pays to have friends.

Once in _the_ _Cobalt Squadron_ she dedicated herself to what would be her first task of the day, trying to drown her anxiety and worries with manual activities, as she always did. And she was succeeding. Rey worked tirelessly until noon to repair the _Falcon_ , with greater attention now that she knew who it really belonged to.

_Benjamin Solo._

She was angry with herself for continuing to hide things from her friends and feared the moment Ben would show up because she didn't know if he and Rose had talked about their recent meeting in the woods. It was the kind of situation we want to avoid and at the same time rush into, because facing it is the only way to end it. Rey decided that she would not stay quiet until that happened and with a sigh she picked up the job right where she left off.

The inside didn't present a better picture than the outside. The car was in a state of complete abandonment, Rose had not exaggerated at that point.

The seats were loose and the broken seams let out some of the padding. The dashboard was missing a lot of buttons and the roof had major dents. The front glass had long since ceased to exist.

But all things considered, Rey thought it was a beautiful machine and wondered what sentimental value it would have for Ben if it had belonged to his father. She could imagine him as a child in the passenger seat, playing race car, as she did as a child with her mother.

Again, her mind wandered to places where it was better not to dare, and anticipating the sadness, she dismissed those thoughts. She did not know what kind of relationship they would have had and it was better to find out before jumping to conclusions.

Appealing to her practical side, Rey lifted the hood, hoping that the engine would still be running or that it would be in a condition to be retrieved. With a quick examination she found that everything was better than she expected and only have to change some parts, but she could do that with her eyes closed.

On second thought, the young woman noticed that the car looked as if it had been involved in some kind of accident. The marks and bumps gave the impression of a strong impact, perhaps against a tree or another vehicle. Some parts had been temporarily straightened out with the help of tools, but Rey could not be sure that it would have worked again after such a serious crash.

In the past she had worked as a coroner's assistant, it was a short job but she learned many things. That's why she was able to recognize the traces of a tragedy in the _Falcon_. However, her intention was not to solve mysteries but to fix cars and that was going to be.

All she needed to do was check the electronic connections on the dashboard, so she opened the door on the driver's side and pulled out a bunch of wires that were under the steering wheel.

A shiny object on the floor, on the worn carpet, caught her attention and she stretched out her arm to lift it. A pair of gold dice with symbols she did not know, joined by a thin chain also made of gold.

Should she ask Rose or leave them there? If they had been so long forgotten inside the car, perhaps they didn't belong to anyone. It was strange that they had not claimed something so valuable.

Ben was the owner, so she'd keep them so she could return them and have an excuse to see him again. Yeah, that's what she'd do.

She decided to take on some simpler task to help Rose with another client, while she figured out the best way to return the Prince's lost treasure.

* * *

Ben finished signing the record and handed the report card to the student in front of him with a distracted look. For the last hour he had listened half-heartedly to the presentation along with two other teachers of related subjects who were acting as court and jury.

_Another essay on the similarities between the new trilogy of space opera films and the novels of English writer Jane Austen._

On any other day, Ben would have applauded the originality of the proposal, because he actually found it ingenious when his students were looking for new and well-supported associations, even if they seemed nonsensical at first. He was not the one to restrict that creative freedom, in fact he encouraged it in his classes and the results were almost always surprising.

As a teacher he was quite different and only those who had been in his classroom learned to recognize the spark of passion for writing and the stories he conveyed when he taught. Many left there determined to become writers, others discovered a voracious passion for reading, even those who did not pay attention to his classes, ended the year with the concept of platonic love well studied and incorporated.

But it was Thursday morning, the second consecutive day of final exams, and he hadn't slept very well the night before because of a great deal of questioning that could easily be reduced to three glorious letters.

_Rey._

Listening to the heated debate among his colleagues and the dazed student who had carefully prepared the topic didn't help his headache. Sitting between Poe and Amilyn had not been the best of strategies, but it was what the institution's bureaucracy dictated. Therefore, on either side of their ears, they had representatives of opposing positions and neither wanted to give in, not even to end the issue and go to lunch.

Poe Dameron, on his right, was the drama teacher and always told anyone who would listen that he had once been a leading extra in one of the first films of the saga and had met the original director, trying to hold his conservative position and almost pushing the limit with petulance.

Amilyn Holdo, from the Art Language department, made an almost maternal defense of the young student, perhaps because her favorite topic was love stories and she had no qualms about giving everyone a chance to express themselves. As a person and as an artist her ways were kind, she always had good advice and knew how to listen. But the passion that she imprinted on her canvases also led her to discussions with Poe.

And Ben knew that when these began, they would not end soon because neither of them wanted to lose.

Why didn't they admit out loud that they liked each other? Ben knew they had some kind of relationship because he had caught them looking at each other provocatively several times. He was very irritated that they were wasting precious time on him, time that could be spent on hundreds of better things. Why did the Alderaanians care so much about keeping everything a secret? It was indeed an excellent question that he should apply to himself, perhaps some other day.

He couldn't stop thinking about Rey since the morning before, how close he had come to kissing her. He was afraid to admit that if that car hadn't made an attempt on their lives, he would have.

When he accompanied her to the edge of the woods, just where the little path that would take her straight to Rose's workshop began, he didn't have the guts to accompany her and that was not worthy of a gentleman. The road split in differing directions and he took the opposite of Rey's to return to the village, this time trying hard not to turn around to see if she was looking at him. So much for acting like Mr. Darcy.

What was he afraid of? Was he afraid of being seen together? He did not care what the curious inhabitants said, though he knew that gossip could complicate his life even more. Ben had no doubt that by now the Rey would have an almost complete picture of his personality, his tastes and his activities, at least of what everyone supposed him to be. His fear was inner, he did not want to admit that he liked her very much because he hardly knew her and had promised her help. Loyalty was on his list of values above all things, because Ben would _never_ dare to trust such a fickle emotion as love again.

But someone had seen them that afternoon. Who was the deranged driver who had almost hit them? No one was using that road, at least no one who lived in New Alderaan. So it was obvious that it was a foreigner, ignorant of the unspoken local laws. Ben made an effort to remember something else, but the car had tinted windows and had been speeding past. The only particular sign was the red and gold stripes on the hood, and although there were many black cars, he had never seen one with that pattern.

But it was clear that he could not call himself a worldly man, and that was also apparent from his childish behavior with Rey. Why did he feel so clumsy when she was around? He had always believed himself to be a sophisticated man, even managing to play the role of the prince that everyone attributed to him behind his back. But those moments with Rey were different because there was no need to pretend. She had captured much of his true personality with a couple of innocent questions and the potential danger of that was what made Ben angry and attracted to her.

And then there was the question of the book. He could already rule out that she had left it inside the library. The dates of her arrival did not match and the book could not have walked into New Alderaan by itself. For the moment that had to be put on hold. It was clear, however, that Rey appreciated _Neverending Story_ because the name she had given her cat. Otherwise, why did he call him _Fújur_? Well, come to think of it, his Uncle Lando had a cocker spaniel named _Chewbacca_.

Why was he trying so hard to make connections between the fantasy world and flesh and blood people? Maybe because real people always let him down and stories would never do that to him. They had brought him up before, when his reality was a complete nightmare. Inside them Ben found security, experienced the fear of believing that not everything is possible but only for an instant, because evil never wins.

Too bad he couldn't travel to the past and eliminate from his life that rainy March afternoon. If he had listened to his father instead of arguing with him, his story would be different.

Ben remembered the strange apparition in the woods, if he could call it that. He didn't usually believe in such things, but he allowed himself to consider it for a moment. Why in that place? Why hadn't he felt any of that before? What was it and what was he trying to tell him? For a second he imagined trusting Rey with his concerns, but he did not want her to think that, on top of all the rumors, Ben Solo was insane.

“Let's see if you can understand Poe, honey.” Amilyn kept poking Dameron even though it had been fifteen minutes since the triumphant student's presentation ended with Ben's casting vote. “They're enemies who become lovers.”

“It's absurd, Amilyn, I can't believe you're serious!”

“Why not? Can't you see the similarities? Heroin prejudice, disastrous confession and rejection... by the Force, Poe... The symbolism of the hands!“

“Bah! And now you're going to compare the fight choreography with the dance scenes between the protagonists...”

“Well, I hadn't thought of it that way, but that's an excellent point, thank you!”

Amilyn was a little encouraged by the feeling that she was winning the battle. But Poe rolled his eyes and flaunted his entire dramatic training.

“ Of course not! I could never compare a classic in the history of science fiction film with the stories of a writer who, even two hundred years after her death, still motivates young girls - and not so young - to defend and worship an arrogant and perverse man whom they first despise and then accept with open arms!”

Ben wondered which of the characters Poe was referring to in particular and knew that the words about age had hurt Amilyn deep down, but he couldn't stop his friend in time and the woman exploded. The fights in the humanities area were legendary.

“Withdraw.”

“I won't!”

“Do it, _or you know what's gonna happen_.”

Poe looked sideways at Amilyn, weighing the threat of her words. Ben let out a scream of annoyance that drew everyone's attention, but at least it ended the discussion. He stood up quickly, picked up his backpack and jacket from the back of the chair, and headed for the exit.

But Poe returned to the charge and standing up he pointed at Ben with an accusing finger.

“You traitor! How can you agree to this madness?”

Amilyn crossed her arms, already sure of her victory.

“So what if he is? Ben is the only authority on the matter and has the last word. Isn't that right, dear?” The woman offered him a look full of tenderness.

“In fact...” Ben turned in his footsteps, as a perverse idea formed in his mind. “This has been extremely enriching, I think we should include it in next year's programme, we could even think of a play.” And winking at his friend, he came out of there hearing the echoes of Holdo's laughter.

This time he didn't bother to deny the need he felt to see Rey. It was time to make decisions and take risks, because otherwise he wouldn’t be able to meet her or help her.

The prospect of introducing Luke to her was not too exciting for him, but there was no way he was going to turn to his mother. Ben wasn't sure if Mara and Leia knew each other, but he wasn't going to break the record of seeing his mother only twice a year and at strictly official functions.

 _The Cobalt Squadron_ was in full swing when he arrived. He greeted Finn with a slight nod and didn't stop to find out why the young man wouldn't take his eyes off him. He distinguished Paige in her glazed office, talking on the phone, and Rose concentrating on fixing a wheel. But he didn't see Rey anywhere. Until he saw a pair of nice flowered shoes sticking out from under a car, just a few inches away from tripping over them.

“Ben!” Rose went over to welcome him with a hug and he bent down a bit to greet him “good to see you! There's someone I'd like you to meet.”

As if by magic, the sneakers Ben had seen before were transformed into a complete person, with arms, legs and head. Rey emerged from between them rolling on a mechanic's stretcher, her face full of blush and her hands greased.

Ben's heart stopped for a few seconds. Rey had the gift of appearing in the most original ways. Nothing about her was conventional and he was moved by the thought of the things he did not yet know about her. It was clear that she had not confided in Rose about their encounters in the woods. He reacted quickly and extended a hand to help her get back on her feet, but she hesitated for a few seconds, perhaps thinking that she was going to stain his hands. Ben was about to withdraw, uncomfortable, when she took it and stood beside him.

“Rey, let me introduce you to my friend Ben Solo.” Rose didn't miss any detail of the scene, looking alternately at her two favorite people. “Ben, this is Rey Niima, a new member of the _Squad_ family!”

“I've heard a lot about you, it's good to finally meet you!” Rey moved more than usual, unable to conceal her nervousness, an emotion that Rose attributed to a completely different meaning to the real thing.

“The pleasure is mine.” It was less difficult for him to hold a role, but being near her made him happy, and the slight tremor in his left eye threatened to reveal it to Rose's inquisitive gaze, which was aware that something strange was happening.

“Rose!” Paige's voice rang out over the intercom. “A guy just called for a tow because his car broke down near the road to Corellia. Can you go?”

The girl let out a long sigh with her eyes closed.

“I'm sorry. Paige doesn't want to leave her office because she's addicted to the air conditioning. I'll go see what she wants.” - Rose left them alone and regretful she missed that pair's performance.

When she made sure she couldn't hear them anymore, Rey spoke up.

“So, Ben... Why didn't you tell me you were a Prince?” Rey couldn't hold back the charade much longer. She was glad that he had not acted strangely or given away their secret.

“I didn't want to overwhelm you with protocol. Since when did you become a mechanic?” Ben relaxed too and smiled.

“Well, there's a lot of things you don't know about me.”

 _«Believe me, I'm well aware of that.»_ He thought

“ Why didn't you say anything?” Rey crossed her arms trying to appear mysterious.

“I could ask you the same.” Ben shrugged, really enjoying the exchange of questions and the mischievous glint in Rey's eye.

“We're even now. You have saved my life and I have saved yours.”

“How's that?”

“I have saved you from ridicule, therefore, from a social death.”

Ben laughed so hard that some pigeons flew away scared. Rose and Paige peeked out to see what strange phenomenon was happening as they worked out the crane issue.

“About the guy who's melting in his car, would you do me a favor and go? Come on, Rosie, do it for me. Think about our reputation...”

But her sister did not pay much attention to her, and watching Ben and Rey chatting animatedly, she devised a foolproof plan to bring them closer together. Perhaps a little of Finn's matchmaking spirit was rubbing off on her.

“Don't worry, I just thought of something better. They'll go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finn would be playing a well-meaning role here and her performance is somewhat based on the author's experience. Thanks to him, I discovered that you have to reserve the shipping for fiction and use other tools for real life. I think Finn and I learned our lesson.
> 
> I couldn't help but include my personal appreciation of the similarities of Reylo with Pride and Prejudice in Amilyn's words. For those of you interested in learning more, I have come across this beautiful podcast: [Pride and Prejudice and Reylo - Literary References in the Sequel Trilogy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD_GFveera0)
> 
> Poe does not represent any stereotype in this discussion, it's just something I found funny and I'm sure we'll change his mind in the future.
> 
> Finally, I wanted to add that this story came to me one night and insomnia in May and since then I have written down a thousand and one variations of events, but I have a precise idea of how it will end. In other words, I'm enjoying it very much and it's going to take longer than I thought, but I think it will be worth the wait.
> 
> As always, thanks for following this story and I'll be waiting for you in the comments or on twitter!


	7. The Cobalt Hammer

_“It’s true that I fear nothing,” he said aloud, “but what I still lack is true_   
_courage. Being able to endure hardships is a great thing. But courage and_   
_daring are something else again. I wish I could run into a real adventure,_   
_something calling for great courage."_

**_Michael Ende - The Neverending Story_ **

* * *

For Armitage Hux it was a _great_ return to _New Alderaan_ , a truly remarkable one. His current situation was as complicated as the rest of his life lately, everything was _wonderful_ and getting _better and better._

That his car refused to continue the journey and decided to stay in the middle of the road, with more than half an hour to go, was the icing on the cake.

The young man rested his head on the steering wheel and began to hit himself against it, but when he saw that his tantrum could not resuscitate the engine, he stood still, hoping that it would all be over once and for all.

Having to return to a place he despised, which he considered old-fashioned, was not the only bad thing that was happening to him. He tried not to compare the dirt streets and the typical smells of the countryside with his comfortable apartment overlooking Coruscant's most select area.

The fact that his precious _Supremacy_ decided to break in that place was a preview of what he could expect there. Armitage didn't understand why such things happened to his, as he had checked every wire and nut before leaving. His head mechanic had assured him that everything was in perfect condition, because Hux was a bit obsessive about his car and perhaps allabout himself.

But it was clear that he was not right.

Although Armitage suspected that it could be the whimsical _magic_ of _New Alderaan_ , the same that in the past had done _so many good things for him._

Resigned, he took a few minutes to review his plan, analyzing possible future failures.

Even he had no way to return home as if nothing had happened, because that was exactly the reason why he was in his present condition: running away and melting under the midday sun, halfway to nowhere and with the only company of his ex-wife's cat, who had turned out to be much more understanding and less ambitious than she was.

He cleared from his mind the image of Bazine that in a matter of days had passed from being his soul mate to a complete stranger. Because _sweet Armie_ could forgive many things but could not stand lies, much less infidelity.

There was no opportunity for her to apologize or give him explanations; it was enough for him to see it with his own eyes. Apparently, his marriage agreement was an excuse for her, a tool to climb faster to the top. In other words, Bazine used it to get to the big fish in the law firm where he worked, his boss Jared Snoke.

Hux felt his eyes burn and suppressed with all his strength the desire to cry, although there was no need to hide it. He was alone and no one could pity him or witness the dark circles under his eyes, the result of not having slept for days.

_After all, it was incredible that the car had collapsed before he did._

All he wanted now was to get home, actually, to the house his father had left him because he had not lived there for many years. Although it was better not to expect anything from Brendol Hux. Armitage could not and did not want to make sure that her father was alive somewhere in the galaxy because he had no desire to see him again. It was enough to have gained new terrors to awaken old monsters. The only thing he could be sure of was that he would never set foot in _New Alderaan_ because the kind of entertainment his father was used to did not exist there.

A trustworthy person looked after the property discreetly and had assured him a couple of days before by telephone that it was uninhabited and in excellent condition to be occupied, conveniently vacant and furnished, so Armitage was enthusiastic thinking that he was assured of a hot shower and a bed to sleep in once he managed to make his corresponding duel.

In _Wukkar_ he had crammed the trunk of the _Supremacy_ with provisions that were absolutely indispensable for his delicate situation, such as many cans of beer and gummy bears, instead of the high-end wine he was used to and the rose-flavored Turkish Delight that he had not managed to obtain.

His plan was simple but effective: to get drunk until he forgot Bazine.

He was sure he'd get all that in New Alderaan, but Hux didn't want to be the center of gossip. In a few days everyone would know about his current marital status, although he doubted that they would even know that he had married a sophisticated city woman. He could use that as an advantage for a new beginning, he well knew that everyone there loved stories more than reality, and in fact Armie was quite witty and charismatic, sure he could invent a fabulous past.

He would come back with his head held high, running faster than his demons and triumphing, as always.

But before, he wished to remain locked up for two or three days, perhaps for a week, lying in bed in a pitiful state and with his mind nowhere. The pretext would be that he was getting ready and preparing an office to attend anxious clients.

No one knew much about him except _Benjamin Solo_. But he could trust Ben, because they had a long history of secrets and favors to return. No one better than his friend to understand the need to leave the past behind and start a clean slate.

Perhaps it would help him avoid gossip for a while.

Why would he go back to a place that he disliked so much? He asked himself this question over and over again while cursing himself for his fate, but the excuses were not enough to hide the truth from him completely and the reason was that he was afraid and needed time to start over.

Snoke had forced him to choose between keeping his job or his wife because he had so much power on Coruscant that he felt he owned everything, even the people. And Hux had chosen the latter, because he was enchanted by it and had some honor. At first he wanted to forgive her, he really wanted to, and they could pretend that nothing had happened, start again together somewhere else.

It was a pity that Bazine did not stay with him after making this decision. But she was diligent in sending him the divorce papers. Who knows what Snoke would have promised he, at this point Armitage was so furious that he was no longer interested. But the humiliation and betrayal were issues he could not overcome. Besides unemployment, because the same day he was without a home, without a job and without a wife.

He felt a soft pressure on his lap and noticed the cat that affectionately rested a paw on his chest as if he wanted to express her unconditional support, or perhaps she was just hungry. Armitage took a little package out of the glove compartment and served the contents to Millicent on a small plate; the lady deserved a treat after all that had happened those days.

Between the two of them there was an almost mute but satisfying and comfortable communication, like that of two old friends. Hux thought that Millie could use a change of scenery, after all, Bazine never really cared for her even though she loved to brag in front of everyone about the story of her rescue, adorned with details that made her superficial personality shine like a precious stone. A fake gem, a prop, because everything she did was for show.

“I know, don't worry. We'll get through this.” - He said in a soft voice.

Millie responded by meowing twice and he knew she understood him and was encouraging him.

He couldn't call Ben because it would be so strange to see him again after so long and in such circumstances, plus his hermit friend hated phones and had misplaced his number and email anyway.

The young man straightened up in his seat and decided to get to work. He had no idea how to fix his own car but he knew how to ask for help through his inseparable cell phone and powerful internet connection. He would look for the nearest garage with a tow truck to tow the _Supremacy_.

 _Cobalt Squad_ was the first result, with an excellent rating and very good customer reviews, not to mention that he could walk home, which was not far from there as marked on the map.

Armitage did not remember reading that name before, was not familiar with it and did not know any mechanic named _R. Tico_. Surely this was someone new, he could not be so deluded as to think that everything would remain the same after so many years and to be honest with himself, he preferred it to be so.

I only hoped that the guy, because he assumed that the initial "R" was for Ross or something like that, would not take advantage of his desperation and that he would treat the _Supremacy_ as it deserved.

He pressed the icon to call and a woman's voice answered him nicely. After explaining approximately where he was, he entrusted the Force to arrive soon because heavy clouds were far away and the oppressive heat had turned into heavy humidity. The storm was distant, but some sporadic gusts indicated to him that it was approaching fast and looked like an intense storm.

The air conditioning stopped working along with the engine and the atmosphere that was being kept cool was beginning to run out, so he decided to open a window to let the wind bring him some coolness. He looked impatiently at his expensive wristwatch, a gift from Bazine, and refusing to throw it in the middle of the road for some other luckier driver to step on it, he concentrated on waiting for someone to come to their rescue.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to open some of the beer cans, since they wouldn't arrive fresh and Hux had been taught never to waste food.

* * *

Rose looked over to where the couple was happily chatting, and while she was completely unaware of the fact that they had known each other since the day before, she was perceptive enough to suspect that something was going on, because the chemistry between them was incredible.

It had been a long time since she had seen Ben laugh like that and was grateful to Rey for having provoked that reaction in her dear friend. It was definitely something she wanted to continue to witness. And although she didn't know Rey very well, she also liked seeing her with that soft blush on her cheeks.

It was clear that Ben liked her new friend, perhaps she was impressed with him for all the expectations that both Finn and her sister had placed on him. She knew Paige was talking about Ben that morning just before she showed up because she caught part of the conversation and Rey's expression reminded her of the one she saw him in her house earlier.

She made a note at the top of her mental list to talk to her sister seriously about the matter. Good intentions did not always yield the desired results when people were pressured, and that was something Rose had learned very well and with much pain.

The young woman thought that later, when they had deepened their friendship and trust, she could warn Rey about some things about Ben, before relying on the comments that she would soon know if they began to see her with him. But, in the meantime, she enjoyed the scene because Ben was like a brother to her and she wanted him to be happy.

Rose pushed away the sad memories of her own past and walked towards them with a determined step and an unfailing plan in mind.

She shook the keys of the crane to distract them with the gentle tinkle, as she was not one to listen to other people's conversations. Besides, she gave her friends time to get out of the state of absolute self-absorption in which they were, absorbed in each other as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist.

She loved to observe those kinds of details that no one else noticed, and in _New Alderaan_ something happened all the time, even though no one really paid attention to the everyday.

Ben and Rey gave off a magnetism that she had rarely seen in her life, perhaps among her grandparents.

And Rose dreamed of feeling that herself sometime, but until now no one had managed to awaken that kind of feeling in her. She once fell in love with someone who broke her heart and since then she has taken refuge in her work and her friends, hoping that her moment, when it came, would be natural. She was satisfied with what she had achieved, practically alone, and owed nothing to anyone. She didn't care what the rest of the people said about her, and the Alderaanians could be very hurtful if they proposed to her, even when they thought they were talking quietly.

She held on to her moon-crescent-shaped medallion like every time she needed to trust herself and hold on to the present to leave behind some things that were better not to be dug up. She turned to Rey and put her plan into action.

Rey took a more attentive position to listen to Rose, but did not abandon her characteristic freshness and dazzling smile.

“Good news, Rey! Paige and I have decided that your first official _Squad_ mission will be to rescue the client in distress. You will have the opportunity to visit other places, even if our offer is a little limited.” - Rose shrugged her shoulders waiting for her friend's response.

Ben raised an eyebrow and Rey bit her lip as she thought about what she was going to answer.

“That's great Rose, but I'd be little more than a hindrance, since I could barely get here yesterday without getting lost...”

Ben cleared his throat and Rey stopped abruptly as if she were about to reveal something she shouldn't have.

“What do you mean? I thought you weren't lost... Then... how did you get here?”

Before Rose could connect the threads of the intricate lace being woven in front of her, Finn, who had been listening and watching for a long time, waiting for the moment to resume the battle, tugged at the thread of her thoughts.

“It's logical that you get lost here! Our streets are labyrinthian and full of dead ends, not to mention that they are not properly marked so as not to affect the natural landscape. “

“Finn, I think...”

“Don't worry Rose, I have a great idea.” - he whispered, turning his back on the couple so they wouldn't see him.

Rose imagined what was next and rolled her eyes, a gesture she had been making lately because of her friend. Besides being nosy, he was stealing credit for his idea.

Well, if anyone was to be blamed later, at least she would be unharmed.

Finn continued his performance, not at all convincing. Rose thought the private lessons with Poe Dameron weren't doing much good.

“I'd be happy to help you, Rey, but you know... The boss controls me” - gesturing to Rose –“Ben could accompany him on the crane, right?as long as you don't have another academic..“- he stopped as if looking for the exact word –“commitment”

Ben looked at the young man suspiciously for a few seconds and then sent a silent question to Rose as if to confirm his suspicions. She noticed that he was a little uncomfortable, as if he was fighting the urge to refuse but the desire to be with Rey was greater.

Finn expected indifference or a refusal from _the Prince_ , because it was not the first time he had tried to involve him in one of his ravings. That's why Ben's collaborative spirit left him a little out of it and he was speechless when he heard his response, but he recovered from the surprise immediately.

Against all odds, Ben's lips curled upward and his eyes glowed a bit with amusement.

“Of course, it will be a pleasure. If Rey doesn't mind, of course.”

Finn nodded contentedly and promised himself that if Ben and Rey became a couple it would be the greatest play of his matchmaking career. He couldn't wait to tell Phasma the next day.

Rey, on the other hand, was blushing more and more but was doing his best not to be noticed, which was quite difficult.

”No!”- Rey's over-enthusiasm caught the attention of all three –“I mean, no, of course it doesn't bother me.”

“Very well. So, here are the keys.” Rose made a gesture to give them to Ben but in a split second she changed her mind and placed them in Rey's hands.

Rose's nod and the shadow that flew across Ben's face did not escape the young woman, but she decided she would ask him about it later and headed for the crane to come to the rescue of the man from the road, followed by his attractive co-pilot.

The crane, or _Cobalt Hammer_ as the name painted on the sides said, was waiting for them in all its majesty in the adjoining shed. Manufactured by Slayn & Korpil, it was a black MG-100 Starfortress model that the sisters looked after with devotion.

One of the two, Rey could not guess who, had painted on the front a caricature of a dark being, with a smile of sharp white teeth and blue bulging eyes. If it was supposed to inspire fear, it did not achieve its effect, even Rey found it tender and funny. Surely this was some joke among the sisters that he would try to discover later.

Rose explained the basics of moving the ramp and hook, and left the rest in her hands because she was sure that Rey was perfectly capable of solving any mechanical problem.

About what would happen inside that cabin when she and Ben left the squad, she wasn't so sure. At times she regretted the impulsive act of forcing them to spend time together, but something told her there was nothing wrong with a little push.

Ben was standing next to them, quiet and a little impatient. He seemed to be very focused on kicking the little stones off the gravel floor, and every now and then he would cast furtive glances at the vehicle.

Rey got behind the wheel and adjusted the rearview mirror to her height, but noted with some nervousness that the crane only had one seat, spacious enough for four people like her to get in if theyscootched in a bit.

She consoled herself by thinking that Ben would not be _so_ close as to disturb her, until he opened the co-driver's door with an almost sudden jerk and settled down at the other end, fastening his seat belt.

The space seemed to deform under some capricious law of physics that Rey would never understand. Ben was far away but somehow he filled the whole cabin with his presence. His head was just some few centimeters from the ceiling and his arms were crossed as if he tried to contain himself, to impose a distance between them.

At least that's what it seemed to Rey and she was grateful for it, because she was beginning to remember the dream that _Fújur_ had interrupted and was dying to do a live version.

She concentrated on looking on the task ahead. It had been a long time since she had driven, but she didn’t want to reveal her fears to others. She didn't imagine for a second that she was being part of a romantic movie plot because she was a responsible and determined woman, and if the sisters had assigned her the job it was because they considered her suitable. Rey was going to prove them right, even if he had to keep at bay the contradictory feelings _the Prince_ inspired in her. The man on the road was waiting under the relentless midday sun of _New Alderaan_.

Once she started the engine she became familiar with the movement and vibration of the vehicle. Every time she drove she felt free, as if her body extended beyond her hands and legs. She prided herself on being an excellent driver, precise and calm, even though she sometimes liked a little speed. The emotion she felt at that moment displaced all the others for a while and with an impeccable maneuver, she got on the main road that would take them to the next town.

Rey felt a little uncomfortable with the silence between Ben and her, the friendly conversation of minutes before had left no trace and she had the painful feeling that her presence displeased Ben.

She took the opportunity to look at him out of the corner of her eye and couldn't understand the emotions he was going through. He seemed absorbed, looking through the window as if he wasn't really there with her. He was clenching his fists and breathing fast, barely noticeable. He was very tense, so much so that Rey became worried and slowed down to park the car on the side of the empty, hot road.

The slight shift in gear interrupted his distraction and he looked at Rey with a questioning gesture.

“What's going on? Why are we stopping?”

Rey couldn't explain the reason without seeming intrusive, so she did her best and made up an excuse. Not a very good one, really, but it was the first one she could think of.

“I wanted to park to breathe the fresh air of this place, but that's okay. I guess I'll have time to do that later.”

She felt completely ridiculous but helped dissolve the stiffness in Ben's shoulders and even brought a smile of compassion to her face.

_«Excellent, Rey. Let him think you're completely crazy.»_

And because she felt she had to say something else, like every time she started talking out of control to get out of an uncomfortable situation, she kept laying out her foundations.

“There's not much of that on Coruscant, you know.”

“I see. Don't people breathe on Coruscant?”

Rey was not bothered by the mocking tone in Ben's voice, because somehow he was back to his old self.

_«Well, this seems to be working for him.»_

“Oh... They do breathe.” - she replied, playing along. –“Only they use some complex and quite uncomfortable devices to be able to do it.”

“Wow, I thought the rumors were exaggerating.”

“On the contrary, it's even worse than you think. Children are born without noses.”

After that last statement, Ben could no longer contain the laughter he was trying to suppress. Rey smiled contentedly and continued the march, although at a slower speed. She was not anxious to arrive and barely thought about the poor man who was waiting for them, because she wanted to preserve that moment a little longer, she wanted to fix it in her memory as she did with the things she really valued.

_«Very good Rey.Creativity, 1.Distress 0»_

They were about to leave _New Alderaan_ by the only way in. Rey recognized the place where just two days earlier he had imagined a life in the prairie hunting animals to survive.

“Turn left at the next fork.”

Rey nodded and followed the instructions. Some cars and trucks appeared and he forced himself to concentrate on the road. The humid wind coming through the window, still low, filled her lungs with a penetrating and pleasant aroma of wet earth. They had to hurry because soon the rain would come.

Encouraged by her victory, she summoned up the bravery to keep on searching for Ben a little more. She wanted to ask him many questions but had to be careful with him, like when he was fixing the delicate electronic circuitry with his hand soldering iron. A sudden move would burn everything.

“So you don't like to drive or you don't know?It's nothing bad, I could teach you.”

_«And that's how i ruined it.»_

She knew she had been wrong because Ben had gone back to seclusion, but this time he didn't look out the window, but fixed it in front of him, as if lost in some memory, and she saw that his eyes became a little glassy as if he were about to cry. Since he did not answer the question immediately, she decided it was best to let the matter go and not open her mouth until them reached their destination.

But after a while, Ben breathed a deep sigh and as if by magic, anguish gave way to his usual gesture, the one that everyone called arrogant but Rey was beginning to understand differently. There was no one better than her at masking painful emotions in front of strangers, it was exactly the same as she did when crying was forbidden.

Maybe she had misjudged him, maybe nobody really knew Ben and his serious and calm facade, his apparent coldness, hid a lot of pain. She remembered her conversation the day before, the way she had provoked him and bit her lips.

But she couldn't, it wasn't in her temper to hurt others and she felt she owed him an apology. For her emotional health she would try to stay away from Ben Solo in romantic terms because she didn't want any more trouble in her life. But that didn't diminish her desire to get along with him and perhaps become, if he would allow it, his friend.

Rey opened her mouth to speak but Ben stepped forward, as if he could not or would not remain silent any longer. _As if he wanted to trust her._

“I haven't been in a car for years.” The effort to speak was enormous and Rey stretched out her hands on the wheel as if that would ease her partner's discomfort. –“I haven't done that since my father's accident.”

Rey listened carefully and nodded, trying not to talk and letting him do it at his own pace.

“He usually drove the _Falcon_ , not letting anyone else do it," -Ben flashed a bitter smile, -“but I was so insistent that day... You know, I wanted to show him that I was as talented as he was...”

Rey's heart was in her fist, the sky was getting darker and darker, almost like a reflection of the atmosphere she felt inside the _Hammer's_ cabin. The air became heavy and a few minutes passed until she was able to speak and it seemed that Ben would not add anything more.

“I'm sorry, Ben.”

“What? Why?”

“I had no idea... I was just kidding.” - Rey was talking slowly and her voice was shaking a little.

“It's okay, Rey... How would you know?”

The two remained silent, each with their thoughts. A distant thunderclap sounded seconds after Rey caught the fleeting reflection of the lightning in the mirror.

“Why did you agree to accompany me? You could have refused. Why didn't you?”

Ben seemed surprised at the question but some of the weight he had been carrying had already left him.

“Weren't you the one who said that since you came to this place you have had to revise everything you believed because you think there is a reason to be here and now?”

Usually Rey was not speechless, she could express her thoughts aloud without fear and she regretted not slowing down in time, because she always had something to say. Her mother had encouraged her not to keep anything to herself, no matter how crazy it was, and that was the key to her personality.

But with Ben, she felt out of his element, as if there was no need to talk to fill the air. She felt comfortable with him, and it was as if he needed someone to learn to listen to him patiently.

“I really think so. But what does that have to do with you? Why would you change? Why now?”

“Maybe you're here for a reason.”

Rey felt the run of her heart about to leave her chest. Why was she so excited? Ben shouldn't be telling her these things at this time, with such an important mission ahead of her and a storm chasing behind them.

“You said you would help me.”

“I will.”

“Butwhy?”

“Why what?”

“I'm a nobody, not even my only family member loves me, and from what little I know about him, it's likely that relating to me will bring you problems.”

“Because you are a Palpatine and I am a Skywalker?”

“ I don't even know what that means!”

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Rey couldn't stop a laugh from escaping him and for a moment it almost echoed back to Ben, but he just curved his lips.

“We'll ask Luke on Sunday at my mother's reception.” -She raised her eyebrows in his direction with obvious curiosity. –“If you'd like to join me.”

Rey was flattered, but he remembered that Ben wasn't exactly inviting her on a date if it involved half his family.

“Oh, I don't know Ben... I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to behave in a formal meeting with such important people.”

“It's not a big deal. Besides, I can teach you anything you want to know.”

“You're not doing all this because you have no one to go to the meeting with?”

Ben shrugged his shoulders and made an offer he couldn't refuse.

“You can ask them anything you want to know about your mother.”

The young woman discussed her options, but she didn't have much to decide. The only problem was that she wanted to spend more time with Ben than she dared admit, but she couldn't explain why.

“You don't have to answer now, the thing is I don't even know if I want to go...”

“Why not?”

Again that bitter smile that Ben was quick to wipe off. Rey respected his reserve, perhaps he had revealed much more than he wished and still considered her a stranger.

“My uncle is a very peculiar character. Don't say I didn't warn you.”

“Okay, my only living relative is some kind of film villain, so nothing can surprise me. Believe me.”

Although she was strong, some of her frustration and anguish filtered through her words and Ben sensed it but said nothing else.

He would have wanted to add something to make her feel better, he would have liked to tell her that she was not like her grandfather and that he was going crazy thinking of ways to get to know her better, that maybe he was using his own family as an excuse to keep her close and interested.

Because he was afraid that when she knew the things he had done, she wouldn't look at him the way she was starting to, as if she understood, _as if she wanted to listen to him._

“It must be the poor guy.”

Rey pointed to the red car parked on the side of the road, with the hood up and half a man's body inside doing who knows what, with an empty beer can in his hand and a pair of sunglasses, without losing his style.

The guy was thin and quite tall, almost as tall as Ben and something about him was _familiar._

Rey announced by honking twice and the man turned to greet them.

_Armitage Hux_

Ben recognized him, despite the growing beard and the fire-colored hair, untidy. He didn't look like his friend, the Hux he knew was neat, and he would never leave his house without combing his hair until the shape of his skull was noticed.

_What is he doing here?_

Rey stopped the engine and unbuckled her belt. Before getting off, she gave the stranger a fleeting glance. She looked at him again attentively, as if making sure of something, and then she began to laugh, getting off quickly to meet him.

“What is he doing here?!”

Ben was left in one piece, still in his seat and with his seatbelt fastened. Everything was happening very fast. Rey had spoken the words he thought, that could only mean...

 _Rey is hugging him. Hux is hugging Rey back_.

Apparently they knew each other.

_«That's just what I needed.»_

Never before, as at that moment, was he more aware of his friend's reputation, of the things he knew about him and his conquests, and for a moment he saw everything in black.

He got off the crane and approached them, quite insecure and a little angry. Hux's next moves would tell him if he could still call him a _friend._

“ Ben?”- Hux reluctantly stepped away from Rey to observe him, taking off his glasses to focus his gaze. –“ Is that you? How did you get here? Did you come on foot?”

“ Do you know each other?” - Rey was surprised and looked at one and the other alternately.

“ Have you been drinking?” - Ben said by way of greeting, ignoring Rey to take his friend by the shoulders, shaking him roughly. –“Are you mad?”

“Calm down, Ben! “- Rey tried to separate them and watched the _Supremacy_ with a critical eye. –“ It doesn't seem to have crashed.”

A blurry orange stain inside the car caught her attention and she walked away from the boys to analyze the phenomenon, forgetting for a moment the newcomer's state of health and what Ben might do to him.

“Hey! This is no way to welcome your beloved frie...”

“I asked you a question.” -Ben's face was impassive and his voice very low and deep. His eyes were sparkling.

“No.” Hux grimaced and spoke again, dragging out the syllables. “Well, yes, but… Listen!” - Ben released the tension but held it tight again. –“I didn't drink before the car decided to go into a coma.”

Ben turned pale and pushed away from him, throwing him into the car.

“I'm sorry, that wasn't the best choice of words...”

“At least that remains the same.” -Ben had become a cold marble statue. –“Why did you come here?”

“Why so much hostility? I didn't expect a party reception, but neither did your bitterness...”

Ben approached him again, this time with the intention of hitting him. The tension he had been building up was hardly contentious and his friend was going to get some of his anger if he continued to behave like a drunk.

Rey, who was completely unaware of the exchange between the two, appeared carrying a cat that Ben did not recognize. Their excitement pulled the two of them out of the rough terrain they were on.

“Millicent is here!”

Hux took the opportunity to escape and get behind Rey, which she didn't mind at all and didn't find strange either.

Regardless of how upset he felt, Ben was moved by the image of Rey with the cat. The young woman had the curious power to make him go through the whole spectrum of emotions, but in this case she was slowly serenading him without intending to.

But when he took a step towards them, the animal showed the small fangs and the hairs on its back stood up.

“Millie! Ben _is an idiot_ sometimes, but he is my friend... “ -Hux extended both arms towards him, forgetting the episode seconds before. –“Aren't you my friend, _Benjiii_?”

“That's enough! And get that _monster_ out of my sight!”

“That's not a monster, _it's a lady_ , and you'd do well to recognize it! - Armitage looked at the Rey in a suggestive way. –“Really, Rey, I thought you had more refined taste in men.”

Rey rolled her eyes, ready to come between the two of them when Ben charged back to Hux, which was laughing out loud at a joke that no one understood.

The first drops of rain began to fall and the clouds had darkened the sky as if much later, hiding the sun. A resounding thunderclap erupted over their heads and the lightning fell very close.

“Hey, you two! Cut the crap and help me hook up the car!”

Millicent was nervous, so Hux put her in her kennel with the minimum of common sense he could muster and, partially regaining his poise, followed Rey's orders to the letter.

Ben agreed to a temporary truce with his friend because he wanted to get the girl to safety. He didn't worry too much about the cat and the redhead, but he thought better of the animal, which was not to blame for having fallen into the hands of such an irritating owner.

They managed to have everything ready in the right time and didn't get too wet. Rey got on the _Hammer_ to do the maneuvers and then to start the engine and run away from there, beckoning Hux and Ben to come up through the mirror.

Armitage opened the co-pilot's door, but Ben pushed him out with one hand and gave him a virulent glance, stepping forward to climb up and stand in the middle of the single seat, between an embarrassedRey and an offended Hux.

_«No way are you going to sit next to her, my friend.»_

The journey back to _New Alderaan_ was just beginning.


	8. The Princess and the last J.E.D.I.

_"Once, after they had been wrestling and tumbling, Bastian sat down,  
somewhat out of breath, and said: “Couldn’t I stay with you forever?”  
The lion shook his mane. “No, master.”  
“Why not?”  
“Here there is only life and death, only Perilin and Goab, but no story. You  
must live your story. You cannot remain here.”_ _"_

**_Michael Ende - The Neverending Story._ **

* * *

In the heart of _New Alderaan,_ Mayor Leia Organa was tidying up her desk and locking her drawers, preparing to retire for the afternoon. The working day lasted half a day and taking a nap was a sacred and unperturbed scheduleon a weekday, not to mention the fact that the sudden storm would have discouraged anyone from leaving their home unless it was strictly necessary

However, she didn't expect much activity other than dealing with the occasional complaint about a dog invading the neighbour's garden or a badly parked car in front of a garage entrance. The village was very small and everyone knew each other, and the most serious problems were not solved at the town hall but at the police station. Although, contrary to what it might seem, Leia was always busy. Work helped her forget that nobody was waiting for her at home and that her only son hardly cared for her.

The rains were scarce and surprising at that time of the year, although she always had an umbrella ready for the occasion. However, the prospect of leaving her office to lock herself up in her home until the next day did not particularly excite her. Living with the memories became more difficult on days like that, when the wind that made the tree branches beat against the glass insistently to make room for the pain. For her, grey days would always be messengers of bad news.

She sat down slowly in the comfortable chair and lit the lamp, as if that would chase away the sadness. Leia was a strong woman and did not trust superstitions, but she respected the mystique that reigned in _New Alderaan_ even before the town was built. The light had always seemed to her a safe, powerful place, even in her darkest moments. She was not ashamed of the old habit of leaving a small light on before going to sleep, because for her it symbolized that the ghosts would not reach her.

The cup of tea had cooled without her noticing, while her mind wandered to other times. She looked lovingly at the photograph on her desk, one from when Han was still alive and Ben was just a teenager. She stroked her husband's face lovingly as a silent tear rolled down her cheek and smiled at the youthful portrait of her son. How had it been so long? She prayed to herself that Ben would be safe at home, even though the storms had never scared him, even after the accident. Leia thought bitterly that Ben tolerated inner storms that were much more intense, but she still cared about him. Thunder shook the glass that was already full of tiny drops, as if nature was trying to prove him right.

It was no secret that mother and son were estranged and rarely saw each other on special occasions, but they had grown accustomed to a distressing routine in which everything went smoothly as long as one didn't interfere in the other's life. Leia knew that she could count on Ben if anything happened to her, and she would be there for him without hesitation.

But nothing was the same since the accident seventeen years ago, and the passage of time did not help to bridge a gap that had begun much earlier. The words not said in time, the repressed hugs, the pride and helplessness, had built up in their hearts layer by layer, also hiding the urge to set things right. She could not help but see her late husband in the features of her son, they were very similar in their manner of being, and it was very difficult for her not to miss Han. But in no way would she blame Ben for getting behind the wheel of the _Falcon_ on theday of the tragedy. She blamed herself for fighting with her husband minutes earlier, without having the chance to apologize to him. She lost both of them that day.

And although it was a long time ago, Leia had other reasons for feeling this way. It should not surprise you that your son treated her so coldly when she never spent much time with him in her youth because she was always busy with her job. She tried to justify herself by saying that these were dark times and that everything happened very quickly, but deep down she knew that she had been wrong about Ben even long before that fateful day.

Because the problems in the Organa-Solo house began with the arrival of Sheev Palpatine and Ben was just a kid they tried to keep out of it. Perhaps she and Han had underestimated his intelligence thinking that he was too young to understand that not everything was about good or evil, that the past was not going to define him and that everyone could learn from his mistakes, but it was no longer worth thinking about. Leia planned to tell him one day that his biological grandfather had helped to destroy her birthplace, _Alderaan,_ and that she and her recently discovered brother were adopted. Too bad she had to find out first from _The Dark Side._

Leia's reputation was nearly ruined and it took a great deal of effort to maintain her position. Luckily the citizens remembered her actions and appreciated the patriarchs, the Organa. For once, she and Han agreed on something and took Ben to live for a long time with one of his oldest friends, Lando Calrissian. Meanwhile, the scandal broke and by the time they returned for their son, too much time had passed to explain. Ben became secretive, distant.

Everything went from bad to worse in the marriage, because Leia was sure that Ben heard the fights behind the door and suffered in silence. But what else could she have done? Now she could think of thousands of alternatives, all of them useless. Han tried to get closer, he did it until the last moment of his life, he was the amalgam of that complex family. But circumstances meant that the two who were left behind, mother and son, were unable to resolve their differences.

She was so grieved by her widowhood that Ben's convalescence was a blurred memory even today. At first it seemed to her that time was not moving and that she was caught in a nightmare, one of those in which she tried to run faster and could not. Doctors and monitors assured her that her son was stable but she didn't open her eyes right away, she was in a coma for months before she woke up and the first thing she did then was ask about her father. Leia could not remember another time in her life when she had felt so devastated.

Luke's influence was important to Ben during the years that followed, as he, with his characteristic patience, instilled in him a love of books and that decided his vocation. A few years later he returned from Chandrila to become a teacher and definitely distanced from his mother. Although during the last few months there seemed to be signs of a rapprochement.

She knew that she couldn't get demanding with Ben, with him she had to go little by little. Using the _New Alderaan_ improvement projects as an excuse to share something with him didn't seem like such a bad idea to her, at least in practice it was working. She concentrated on directing her energy towards her friends and neighbours, the big family that was her village.

In a few days the community would celebrate the _Millaflower_ festival and they still had a lot of work to do. It was a kind of anniversary and that was a special year. People from neighbouring villages would fill the streets with joy for several days, there would be fairs of typical objects and food, they were even thinking of setting up a stage for dances and musical events. That same Sunday, Leia would give a reception for the organizing committee, with all the style of royalty that characterized her, with the excuse of seeing old and new friends again.

Three discreet knocks on the door brought her out of her self-absorption and Luke appeared in the office. Leia had forgotten that they had a lunch date but she received a sympathetic gesture from him as he left his umbrella on the drainer and his coat on a rack. There was no need to talk loudly between them to understand each other.

Luke moved an armchair over to the other side of the desk until it was inside the circle of light of the lamp. Outside it was still raining but the intensity was starting to drop.

"Have you heard the news?" Her brother seemed enthusiastic, he had a different sparkle in his eyes. "Mara's daughter arrived two days ago. Her name is Rey."

"I didn't know Mara had a daughter, but I heard the rumours. How old is she? She must have been born after she left."

"Twenty-five years." Luke was a bit restless and Leia could not understand why, but she could sense what he was not telling her. His look was elusive and his fingers were interlocked under his chin, as if he were thinking of something else while talking.

"Why so much mystery? Is there something you want to tell me?" the woman came over and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to calm down. "No one but you was affected by Mara's departure, but I have a feeling that something else is going on here. I know that you were very close."

"It's not what you think." he rushed to answer. "But it is true. I never got over it. She was... special. You know, so different from her father..."

"Was it? What happened to her?"

"No one knows, but the evil tongues say that Rey claims to be an orphan."

"Have you seen her? What does she look like?"

"Maz Kanata met her yesterday and said that she was very kind to fix her shopping cart. Apparently she is the spitting image of Mara, she has her eyes, but not her hair. Several people have told me this, but I haven't had the chance to meet her yet."

"I see. The Alderaanians must be totally revolutionized by the novelty."

"She is staying at the home of the Tico sisters and has started working with them today."

"How do you find out about these things?"

"Palpatine is not the only one who has his spies."

"You're just an old gossip."

"I have also been told that he has been seen in the company of Ben... Well, they were seen talking together in the _Cobalt Squadron._ He was _laughing_."

"I'm sorry... What?"

"That is not all. Wedge saw them together on Rose's crane, on the road to Corellia."

"How did this happen?"

"What do you know? - Luke shrugged. - I don't understand, he barely paid any attention to me when I told him yesterday, but now I have more hope that he can introduce me to her. He took a crumpled note out of his waistcoat pocket and extended it to his sister. - I don't know what to make of this."

> _If you or any member of your family gets close to her, you will regret it._
> 
> _It will happen again and this time you can't avoid it._
> 
> _S.P._

"You can't be sure what he's implying, that man is crazy! How could it affect us now?" Leia blurted out the words and then took to the air again with resignation. "My term is almost over and I'm really tired of all this. I think it's time to change course. People will understand, I'm not young anymore and I want to use my time for other things."

Luke shook his head, once again staring blankly at his sister.

"It does not concern what people think of you. He's up to something with the girl, Rey. His granddaughter."

"What other secrets does he have? I thought we wouldn't go through this anymore. He couldn't hurt us anyway. Everyone knows that he wants to stay with the village and as long as we are here he is not going to succeed."

"Unless..." Luke stopped. It was not his habit to speak without thinking first, it was not the attitude of the J.E.D.I. to let his passions run away with him. Although even he hid many things from his sister. "There is a small chance that... No. It can't be."

"Tell me, what is it?"

"I don't know!"

Leia straightened up in her seat and looked at him curiously, while making mental connections from past events. She and Mara had not been friends because Palpatine never allowed it, but she was sure that she had a stronger bond with her brother.

"Oh, Luke. What have you done? What do you have to do with her?"

"I repeat that I don't know! It's just my guess. Nothing more." Luke got up and started walking around the room, on the verge of losing his composure, about to say something he was going to regret. "I have to meet her first. But I assure you that it is not what you think, however I cannot tell you yet."

"Very good! I respect your privacy, I just want to know why you think everything will end badly again."

"I don't want her to get hurt. That's all. I loved Mara very much and I don't want her daughter to suffer the same fate as she did."

"Things will be different now, Luke. We've all learned our lesson." Leia was weighing in on Ben, hoping to put things right once and for all. "Besides you say that she is under the protective wing of the Ticos, she will not lack friends there. From what I see she is going to be very well. You shouldn't worry so much. Are you afraid of Palpatine's thugs?"

"No, I can finish those children with my eyes closed." He glanced at his sister who had just drowned out a laugh. "I'm still in shape!"

"Kaydel does not say the same. It seems that your diet of cakes has increased lately..."

"That's a cheap shot. And then I'm the old gossip! But it's true, she cooks very well and it would be a sin not to take advantage of it."

The two brothers laughed heartily for a few minutes until the last echoes were mixed with the gentle rain. The reflection of the sun that appeared between the clouds filtered through the window, announcing that it would soon be hot and the coolness would be history. Hopefully relief would come at nightfall.

"So are you going to invite Rey to your reception?"

"I'll send her an invitation, it won't be anything formal. Just an excuse to welcome her. I think I will entrust that task to Ben." Leia smiled tenderly. She was also eager to meet the young woman who had brought her son out of his slumber and then said more to herself than for Luke "many things can happen between now and Sunday."


	9. The woman who talked to the cats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s this short chapter that takes place while Rey, Ben and Hux are arriving in New Alderaan. It was going to be much longer but I don't want to wear them out. I promise to update the next part soon because it is almost ready and I risk saying that you will like it very much.
> 
> Thank you very much for your patience. These days have been crazy between work and exams, but I am already seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Let's keep going!

_“Only the right name gives beings and things their reality,” she said._ _“A_ _wrong name makes everything unreal. That’s what lies do.”_

**_Michael Ende - The Neverending Story_ **

* * *

The trio traveling back to _New Alderaan on_ the crane had bigger problems than the storm that had raged outside. In addition to the discomfort of the reduced space in the cabin, the heavy silence that had been generated between Ben and Rey occupied the little air they had left.

Hux, unaware that he was the cause of the problem because of the jealousy he had aroused in his friend, now slept peacefully on Ben's right shoulder and held Millie's cage unsteadily in his lap. The cat hissed constantly, making everyone's hair stand on end except for her owner.

Rey drove slowly as a precaution, since the torrential rain prevented her from seeing the road beyond a few feet, and the additional weight of the _Supremacy_ complicated the vehicle's maneuvers. Although without the storm, she would not have been able to go any faster because the gearbox was right between Ben's legs. It was inevitable that she would have to brush his knees and _who knows what else to_ get to the lever, and she was not going to risk creating misunderstandings when the overall situation was already quite delicate.

The young woman was uneasy for several reasons, including the weather not improving and the cat's nervousness, but worst of all was Ben's dryness. She was surprised by the abrupt change in his emotions, when only a few minutes before they had managed to talk amicably. She knew that Armitage had something to do with it because she had behaved abruptly with him, she might even venture that he was jealous of her friend. But why?

The _Prince_ showed all the patience he did not know he had so as not to throw Hux out the window, even more so when he realized that he had fallen asleep and his alcoholic breath was sweeping against his arm. Benalso didn't dare identify the origin of the stain that started on his shoulder because he was sure it had nothing to do with the rain.

The appearance of his friend was most inconvenient, but he told himself that he should have suspected that his problems were about to begin, at the very moment that he felt his life was beginning to make sense because of Rey's arrival. What was the relationship between them? Hux would not hesitate to conquer her if he was interested in her, it had happened before. Benknew he wouldn't have a chance against the charisma of the redhead and his harvest of broken hearts. Perhaps that was what bothered him the most, the fact that he could hurt her. But he was getting ahead of himself and the crane was slowly moving into town.

Even in the darkest moments of his life he had never felt so frustrated and was surprised to discover that this emotion that almost blinded him completely had a name and was jealousy. That's right, he was jealous of the affection of a woman he barely knew but who obsessed him, someone who hadn't shown any interest in him yet, and all because of his friend who was coming back to compete with him in everything.

Somehow, that thought helped distract him from the painful memory of his father's death and his nervousness about getting into the vehicle. He was more concerned about making a good impression on her and not showing that he was immature, even though he was not deep down still angry about the presence of his friend.

He trusted Rey's integrity to drive them safely to the workshop, even though her beautiful face was tense and her hands were stiff on the wheel. Bencould have sworn she was barely breathing and not moving, he knew that because their bodies touched each other on his left side, from his feet to his shoulders. He thought that after all, having only one seat was an advantage because he could be closer to the heady aroma of chamomile in her hair and could even notice the freckles that splashed on the bridge of her pleasant nose. Even her height allowed him to see her from an _interesting_ angle but he only looked furtively in that direction so as not to make her uncomfortable.

At no time did he imagine that his good intentions were absurd because it was him, his imposing closeness, thattroubledRey.

Only a quarter of an hour had passed and the advanced route was very short, so the young driver mentally calculated that at that rate it would take at least another hour to arrive. At least the storm had subsided and the rain was letting up. The colors of the horizon contrasted exquisite ultramarine blue with the intense green and yellow of the sown fields, with a white line that seemed to divide the sky and the earth in equal proportions. Reyregretted not being able to stop the _Cobalt Hammer_ totake a picture, or simply get out of the vehicle to appreciate the phenomenon in all its splendor, she imagined it would be fantastic to fill her lungs with pure rain air and maybe get a little soaked and run around a bit…

But she had to concentrate on the road and on avoiding the rubbing of Ben's leg against hers, which was really all she could think about. Not because it caused him rejection, but just the opposite. He was beginning to remember his dream and the _almost kiss of the_ previous evening, and thoughts were intertwined with each other in an endless dance that he did not intend to dance at the time.

\- It's not long now. - Ben's tender voice broke the silence trying to sound calm. - It's a summer storm, it's not usual to last long at this time of year. - He pointed with his free arm to the right window, out of Rey's field of vision to illustrate his words. - To the west there are hardly any clouds anymore.

Rey allowed herself to look away for a moment where he indicated and was moved by the appearance of a beautiful rainbow. The sun appeared among the clouds, intermittently filtering with an orange light because it was already beginning its descent. The sight was perfect, even with Armitage sleeping on his friend, because he was able to look at the _Prince and_ his attractive features without any impropriety. In short, the landscape was perfect.

Ben stretched out as far as he could to roll down the window, shaking Hux in the process but not waking him up. He wanted to feel a little of the promising breeze that was quivering, gently now, the leaves on the trees on the side of the road. Soon it stopped raining although the clouds continued to threaten and the concrete floor was still wet and formed large puddles in some places. But the young woman relaxed her shoulders a bit and looked at Ben again to assess his mood.

“You know a lot about atmospheric phenomena.” He couldn't help but smile.

“Only what happens in and around _New Alderaan._ You'd be surprised at the things I learn working with Luke.” He shrugged his shoulders, receiving a protest in Armitage's sleep.

“What does your work consist of? I thought you were _just_ a dedicated teacher and book lover.” Again she was being herself, talking without measuring the consequences.

“ _Only_ a teacher? Is that how you see me?” Ben tried to pretend that he was offended but in reality he was not.

“No, I mean... yes.” The young woman's ears began to turn red, as if she were a student who was caught doing something wrong. “That's all I know about you.”

«That, and that strange gift you have for altering my every sense.» she added mentally.

“Is that all you've been told about me?” - He thought with relief that at least Rey didn't know _everything else_. Yet.

“Well, my friends talk about a lot of things, you know? Not everything revolves around you, _prince.”_ She looked at him fleetingly as if trying to get revenge with a provocation, but he was smiling broadly and she was out of breath.

“And I'm glad about that, believe me. You're not wrong about the books, though. I love them, more than anything in the world. I guess you can say I'm a boring guy now.”

“I wouldn't say something like that for the world! I think I can understand that.” Rey realized that she was being very snatched up in her defense, but she didn't care. “Going from one place to another has not allowed me to keep many belongings, but I never get rid of my books. I don't have many but it would hurt me to lose them. I think they are like friends...” - She was interrupted when she saw Benraise an eyebrow. “Don't you dare think I'm crazy.”

“It's the last thing I would think of you.”His tone was serious and the young woman was pleasantly tickled and very curious to know what else his words were hiding.

"Well, the truth is that sometimes I talk to them. “

“Just like you do with your cat?”

“Oh. I forgot I told you that.” Rey sighed in a dramatic and funny way. “You must have me for some kind of demented woman who thinks there are people trapped in her books and that her cat is actually the reincarnation of some distant relative.”

“I wouldn't risk going that far, although I do sense that you are some kind of fairy-tale sorceress.” - He thought of the soothing effect of her voice and the way her heart would beat when she seemed to be angry about something. He wasn't sure what would happen to Rey, but the world wasn't the same now that she had entered his life.

But Rey did not respond right away and he regretted having said something so fanciful and delirious that she might take it the wrong way.

The young woman seemed to meditate a little and he breathed when her shoulders relaxed and spoke naturally.

“Well, it's great that I got rid of those alchemy books a long time ago. Do they hunt my kind around here? I wouldn't want to cause trouble by not asking.” She made a grimace that he thought was adorable.

“Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.” He said it so sweetly that it brought a bright smile to her face, although Rey was unaware of the feelings that were building up in Ben's response.

The tension between them no longer existed and neither did the leaden clouds; the air in the cabin was fresh and pleasant as it filled with the camaraderie of both.

Millie had calmed down a bit, but her owner stirred uncomfortably over Ben's shoulder and began to complain in his sleep as he wrapped one arm around him, perhaps imagining it was a pillow. The _Prince_ groaned in frustration and Reybegan to laugh out loud.

“Do you think this is funny? I'd like to see you in my place, with this creep drooling on your shoulder and a killer cat planning to devour you.”

“Millie has her character but I think she likes you.”

“ Well, it doesn't look like it... “ Ben looked at the cat with many doubts and she responded with a warning snort. “You should teach me that spell to talk to animals.”

“I won't if you don't believe me.” The young woman admonished him. “Besides, they listen and understand. You won't achieve anything with Millie if you're not convinced.”

“It's okay. I give up.” He found it amusing how seriously Rey was taking it. “What should I tell her?”

“Apologize for treating her human badly, tell her you're sorry. Millie will see you as a friend if you show her that you won't hurt Armie.”

“Is it not enough to allow him to invade my personal space?” Rey glanced at him. “I see. I will try.” He carefully opened the cage door and walked away. “I'm sorry, _beautiful_ Millicent, for insulting your _perverted_ master.”

But the cat took out a paw, showed her claws and meowed again.

“She understands everything, _even the irony_. You must be honest with her.”

“How did I get involved in this?” He looked at Millicent again, this time seriously. “Look, kiddo, all I want is to live, so let's call a truce. Your master is a great person but he tends to make the wrong decisions.”

The cat made a sound that sounded a lot like "I know" and then she came out of the cage to curl up with Ben.

“It worked! You shouldn't doubt me, I have many talents.”

«And I'm dying to know them» thought Ben, breaking into laughter and caressing his new friend. But there was only one thing he wanted to know at that moment and that was precisely about the nature of his relationship with Hux.

As if she had guessed the course of his thoughts, she took it upon herself to clarify the doubts.

“I've known Millicent for a while now. Armitage took her regularly to the pet clinic where I worked. Her wife Bazine barely cared for her.” The young woman clenched her fists on the steering wheel again, getting tense again.

“Wife? I didn't know he was married.” Ben looked at his friend, thinking of the years that had passed without talking despite being so close before. Hux shuddered as if he knew they were talking about him.

“Actually I only saw her once and that was enough to make a judgment about her.” the young woman looked at the ginger and added in a whisper, fearing that he would hear. “I caught her mistreating Millie and informed my boss, who took the necessary steps to prevent Bazine from ever setting foot in the clinic again. No one gets smart with Bastila Shan.” Rey's eyes were filled with pride for her mentor.

“Dr. Bastila Shan, the vet for the Coruscant celebrities?”

“The one. I worked with her for a while, even assisting her in some surgeries. I've had many jobs, but not all were like that.”A shadow of anguish crossed her eyes, but she quickly discarded it.

“Wow. You really do have a lot of talent.” Ben kept admiring her more and more with everything he knew about her, and he was truly relieved to discover that there was no love relationship between her and his friend. However, she was still bothered by the familiarity with which he treated her before and it couldn't be just the alcohol.

“And how do you two know each other?” Rey asked.

“It's a long story. But you'll be surprised to know that this _eyesore_ is another Alderaanian like me.”Ben bitterly thought that I was practically like a brother to him. “We studied together in Chandrila, but I lost track of him later because of... certain things that happened.”

“I don't believe it! Why didn't you ever say so? I told him many times about my mother.”

Ben felt a pang of jealousy.

“Maybe he didn't know her.” He responded coldly.

“Maybe...” her eyes were saddened but she recovered immediately. “I guess we all have things we want to leave behind, I respect that. It's lucky he brought Millie. I think _Fújur_ will be happy to see her again.”

The kitten heard her name and left Ben's patting to settle in Rey's lap and carve against her.

“Did you and Armitage spend a lot of time together? I remember him mentioning a guy named _Kylo Ren_ who drove him crazy in college and saying funny things about him.”

“It's just a silly thing. I can't believe he said that.” Ben almost hit his friend with a discreet but painful elbow in the ribs and wrote it down as a priority on his list to have a good talk with the _General_. Or maybe killing him would be better.

“So he meant you?” The young woman began to laugh so hard that her whole body shook with delight and Millie returned to her cage in fright. “You were the _Supreme Leader_ of the band?”

Armitage woke up startled and disoriented, only to discover that for some reason Ben was giving off an aura of intense hatred for him. Perhaps it was because he still had his arms around him, so he rushed to let go and compose himself a little. But he was still dizzy and a little lost.

“So you have finally decided to join us.” Ben's icy tone sent shivers down his spine. “What were you trying to do?”

“Don't bother me; my head is going to explode... I'll explain everything later.” Armitage took both hands to his head and tried to cover his eyes with them because the sun was beaming down on his face, but Ben was quicker and reached for his glasses that had fallen off during his nap. “Thank you.” The pain was so intense that even something as simple as talking hurt him.

“We are almost there.” Rey moderated her joy to refocus on the task. With an expert turn of the wheel, she stepped down onto the main road leading to the Tico sisters' workshop.

….


	10. Hearts of Ice and Haysian Ore

_“I thought,” Atreyu stammered, “that maybe if I brought you food and you were full, I could get close enough to take off your chain . . .”_

_Gmork gnashed his teeth._

_“Do you think I wouldn’t have bitten through it myself if this were an ordinary chain?”_

_As though to prove his point, he clamped his jaws on the chain. The chain jangled as he tugged and pulled at it. After a while he let it go._

_“It’s a magic chain. Only the person who put it on can take it off. But she will never come back.”_

**_Michael Ende – The Neverending Story_ **

* * *

Rescuing a car stranded on the road wouldn't normally take too long, but with the storm lurking Rose couldn't be sure. She busied herself with other tasks while waiting for her friends to return, conscientiously setting up the workshop for when the client arrived and thinking about the impulsive decision to send Ben in the _Cobalt Hammer_. She reassured herself that Rey would look after him and they would have more time alone, away from Finn's prying eye, though truth be told, she too was anxious to know what was going on between those two.

She knew Ben's reasons for not wanting to set foot in a vehicle again, and that was why she was holding off on fixing the _Falcon_. But some things had to change once and for all in that town and Rey was the key, Rose had no doubt about that.

The rain was falling on the roof of the shed with less intensity and a soft breeze completely flooded the place with the scent of fresh earth. A few little birds were beginning to sing from the trees in the field across the street, happy that it was all over soon.

The young woman could proudly say that her workshop was small but impeccable, even considering the materials that were handled there, and that her system of sliding shelves helped to maintain order. She knew where to find each piece with her eyes closed and without fear of making a mistake, she herself had an extraordinary talent for looking neat despite the fact that her work involved grease and oil, hard-to-remove stains and a lot of sweat. She had not-so-modern but effective tools, and with her skill she could have fixed a car as well as a crop duster.

Paige's office was another story, with its unsteady piles of papers and constant chocolate scent, but the boundaries were well marked and each sister reigned within her four walls with full authority, neither advancing nor trying to change the other, trying to accomplish the same in her own home.

Finn came and went around the place, but the storm had taken customers away from him and Phasma was already making her exceptional rounds, so he didn't have much else to do but spend his time lounging in Rose's sitting area. She settled into the small armchair and was very careful not to rest her feet on the little table because that would get her friend all riled up.

“Hey _Rosie_...”

Rose looked away from the tool board she was sorting through and looked at Finn with some suspicion because she only used that name when she had to ask him for something. She knew him very well.

“Are you going to Organa's reception?”

“You know I can't. I have to work.” She shook her head to emphasize her words. “I appreciate everything the mayor is doing, but I hate those meetings.”

“You won't be joining the celebration then either? Will you miss the _Millaflower_ like you do every year?”

Rose finished turning the rest of her body to face him.

“What do you want Finn? Speak up.”

“Well... it's just that I know someone who would be interested in meeting you... Will you at least let me tell you who it is?”

The mechanic rolled her eyes and went back to concentrating on her work.

“If you're referring to that Mitaka guy and his little porg eyes, I'm sorry to tell you that he's more interested in Phasma, but she hasn't figured it out yet.”

“But...”

“I won't participate in anything you propose. I respect what you do, although I don't agree that you and Phas should meddle so much in those poor people's lives, and I strictly forbid you to do it with mine.”

“A while ago I saw you quite enthusiastic about Ben and Rey...”

“That's different!” She interrupted, confronting his friend again. “He deserves a second chance, someone to give him back the will to live and I think she needs it too.”

“And don't you deserve the same?” Finn rose from the bench and placed a hand on her shoulder affectionately. “When are you going to accept that Beaumont is not coming back anymore?”

Her back tightened at the sound of his name. She had forbidden them all to speak of him since the day he left _New Alderaan_ to work on the other side of the world.

“None of your business.”

But Finn was genuinely worried about her.

“It's been six years. Doesn't that seem like a long time not to answer a phone call?”

“Maybe something happened to him...”

“He's forgotten you Rose. You must move on.” Finn adopted a soft tone. “I don't want to hurt you, but I don't know what you expect to happen. Did he ask you to be faithful to him or something? Working is fine, but you're burying yourself in life. You should live a little!”

Her friend was right, but it was easier to live with that than with the certainty of having been discarded when she had given her whole heart. At least she thought she was in love with Beaumont but she also couldn't be sure she hadn't idealized his figure a bit during his absence. No one but her sister and Finn knew, besides Ben but she was confident in her ability to keep the secret.

“I'm fine!” Rose slammed a drawer shut and went to another corner of the workshop to eagerly remove a non-existent stain from a car door. “Perfectly fine!”

“It doesn't seem...” Finn was distracted by the sound of an arriving vehicle and peered up to the entrance. “Here they come. I'd better go...”

Unsurprised by Finn's attitude, Rose carefully discarded the flannel in the cleaning basket and walked over to greet the _Hammer_ and its passengers. A couple of honks and a thumbs-up signal from Rey set her in motion to open the double-leaf doors with a system she had built herself. 

Luckily it was no longer raining and it was still cool in the air, although you had to be very careful on the road and the area that still had no asphalt because it was a real quagmire.

Rose noticed that Ben was a little cramped in the middle of the only seat but he didn't seem uncomfortable but quite the opposite and didn't take his eyes off Rey. Even in the distance she could feel the change and it sweetened her heart as she instinctively held the crescent medallion in her right hand.

But the one who caught his attention was the man riding next to him, possibly the owner of the car. The guy sure was having a hard time, he was out of place with his pale face and sunset sunglasses. His hair was in disarray and he was leaning against the seat at an odd angle, could it be that he was in an accident? Rose was going to know why soon.

Rey moved forward a few feet and began to back up, turning the steering wheel so that the tow truck would pull in with pinpoint accuracy, but before she finished parking, the co-pilot's door opened and the third crewman with red hair and dark glasses rushed toward the ground.

Because of the height, it could have been a tragedy had Ben not grabbed him by the shirt just before he skidded, but in the effort to save his friend, Millie's cage opened and the cat escaped in the direction of _Cobalt Squadron._

“By the Force! Couldn't you wait five goddamn minutes!” Ben pushed the red-haired man who looked out of his mind, unsteady and dizzy.

“ I don't feel well.” he admitted, as Ben finished lowering him down and settled him as best he could against one of the walls, turning around to help Rey unhook the _Supremacy_ while she finished maneuvering.

With a quick glance, Rose decided she was going to have trouble with him. He seemed like the kind of arrogant city boy who was just passing through and telling everyone what to do. She had run into several before and knew how to handle them. His clothes were finely cut, but they were disheveled and stained, he looked sloppy and disoriented. Perhaps dangerous, but not because of his build although he was slender and almost as tall as Ben, but because of what the young woman noticed in his icy blue gaze when he removed his sunglasses.

No way would she be intimidated by him. She would concentrate on the car and getting her work done quickly to collect the money and move on to the next thing.

The only thing they had in common at the moment was good taste in cars.

“Millicent! Come here! Get out of that _filthy_ place.”

Armitage barely noticed the young woman in the green jumpsuit as he passed her with surprising speed heading for the place where his pet had escaped, but again, it was a foolish and hasty thing to do, because he tripped over his own feet and ended up in the middle of the mud puddle.

“Damn!”

“ Look who's the _filthy_ one now.” Rose muttered, deeply offended by the man's words and crossing her arms.

Although she was angry about everything that had happened earlier with Finn, she couldn't rejoice in the misery of others, so she reached out her hand to help him to his feet. But he declined her offer, perhaps because the headache was affecting his common sense and the good manners his mother had taught him.

Or perhaps his problem was excessive pride.

He got up with as much dignity as he could, and ignoring the black-haired young woman, he strided into the workshop and began to rummage through everything in search of his cat.

“Millie, come here!”

“Hey you, who do you think you are? You can't go in there.” Rose soon recovered from the snub and instead felt herself becoming enraged again at the sight of the guy filling the workshop with filth and moving the shelves around as if he were in his own house.

“There you are!”

Armitage climbed into one of the cars under repair, not caring about denting the roof in the process. He was really stepping out of line and trespassing. As a lawyer he knew better, but all he wanted was to get Millie out of that place. He was afraid she might hurt or cut herself on some rusty iron, everything seemed dangerous in that place. Even the _personnel_.

“I told you to get out of there!” When she was close, Rose smelled the stench of alcohol but that didn't stop her, she had to get that nefarious being out of the way before he ruined her work.

Ben and Rey are somewhat oblivious to the scene, busy moving _Supremacy_ so that it lay over the pit and entertaining themselves with casual chatter, just enjoying each other's company, when Rose's scream alerted them to what was going on.

Rose, who looked so small next to Hux, was tugging at his leg to get him out of the car and would have succeeded had it not been for Ben's intervention. Somehow he managed to pull Rose away and hold his friend before he slipped again.

“I’m getting tired of being your babysitter, _General_.”

“Don't call me that! I'm not a child.”

“Then stop acting like one!”

The _Prince's_ pent-up nervousness during the journey combined explosively with the red-head's frustrations, resulting in a confrontation of a major degree that neither Rose nor Rey were happy to witness. It was Hux who was attacking and Ben was defending himself, trying not to hurt him, but the _General_ was moving pretty fast with his hands and no one quite understood the logic of what was going on. At some point the former had to admit that he was itching to shake his friend's shoulders a bit and was providing him with an excellent excuse to do so.

The banging noises had alerted Paige and Finn and now the crowd for the fight was multiplying with the arrival of a confused Mitaka on a bicycle. The situation was getting out of control and no one was moving except for the pugilists. Rey was covering her mouth in disbelief; Finn was clapping and betting on the most robust; Paige was calculating how much money she was going to charge them if they broke anything and Mitaka simply lined up the bike in the opposite direction, just the same way he had arrived.

The only person with any sense was the owner, who soon stepped bravely between the two and managed to separate them a little without getting hurt. It was touching to see how someone so small could control two grown men, who had at least two heads on her and exuded hatred for the world in general and for other things that even they could not bring themselves to admit.

“Shame on you Ben! What would your students say if they saw their teacher fighting with an _ordinary_ _drunk_...?” Rose was very angry, she had her own problems too.

“Hey girl! Don't talk about me like I'm not here. “ Interrupted the alluded one. “I have a name, you know.”

“Take it away from my workshop.” Rose ignored him completely and continued to question her friend. Ben nodded obediently and embarrassed by the image he had just shown Rey. “And come back when you're presentable.”

“Who do you think you are to treat me like this? I am a customer!” Hux raised his tone and advanced toward her, coming so close that their noses almost touched. But she didn't back down.

“A rather unpleasant one.” she mumbled, not looking away from him. “And a spoiled brat.” She added aloud, causing Ben to choke with laughter.

“ I want to see the owner of this place.” Pulling away, the red-haired man played his last card, annoyed with the little woman who had made a fool of him. He spotted Finn in the background and walked towards him decisively. “You must be _Ross_ _Tico_.”

“Who?”

“It clearly says here...” Armitage pulled out his cell phone and showed Finn the app with which he had found the shop's phone hours before, but when he managed to focus his gaze he realized his mistake. “Oh, no.”

That was the coup de grace. Everyone started laughing except Rose, who couldn't have been more insulted. As if it wasn't enough with everything that hideous being had caused, now she had to endure the humiliation of not being recognized as the owner of her own business.

“Get out of here.” Her tone gave no room for retorts, nor was she moved by the blushing face of the red-haired man who looked remorseful. She didn't buy his act and turned around to start fixing the car once and for all.

Millicent spied everything from the top of a window, to which she had arrived in the middle of an argument. From there she had another perspective on things although it wasn't enough to understand why her master was treating the young, beautiful human so badly, who was as heartbroken as he was.

* * *

In such a small town it was not possible to go too far away, so the gentlemen's exile only reached as far as the field fence on the other side of the street. There the two leaned, equally embarrassed, to watch from afar as the two mechanics went about their work. The lamp posts were lit and soon filled with insects, which were attracted to the spotlight without being able to avoid it, just as they could not avoid fighting every time they saw each other.

Some fireflies flew contentedly close by and Armitage had to admit that the constant sound of crickets was what he had missed most about his homeland. He would never say it out loud, but he managed to get excited about something so simple to the point of being able to forget what had brought him to that place. Crickets were his favorite and it had been many years since he had heard them.

But his beautiful image of relaxation was ruined by Bazine and the high-pitched cries she emitted whenever a bug appeared in his neat city life. The memory soured his expression again and he couldn't think of anything else anymore.

Ben, on the other hand, was lost in his own thoughts. He was giving Rey more and more reason to think badly of him and he didn't like that at all. He felt that for every step he managed to move forward, he was going back ten, and all the happiness he felt hours before vanished with the last ray of afternoon light.

Dejected, the only thing left for him to do was to apologize to his friend, at least he would start by trying to figure out what the hell was going on and why he felt like it was all one big déjà vu from his childhood days, when they would fight over anything and end up both crying.

“I didn't know you had a wife. Rey told me. You don't have a ring.” Ben broke the silence.

“Well, I don't have a wife anymore either.” His voice was full of resentment, but also a lot of pain.

“Do you want to tell me about that?” In the past the two of them had been close, but Ben didn't have much hope of getting Armitage to confess. He looked different, changed, like he was talking to a stranger and not someone he might have thought of as a brother.

“Oh yes, I'm very eager to open the wound so that you can make fun of me" replied his friend sarcastically, crossing his arms.

“I'm the last one who can judge you, and you know that.”

“I see, it seems these last ten years have given you wisdom. Or maybe it was this place and its... magic.”

“No. But I know what it feels like to start over.”

The chirping of crickets filled the sad silence that formed between them and Hux regretted that he was being such a jerk to everyone. Had Bazine's company changed him so much that it reversed his personality? No, that was his doing, entirely his own. He had hidden the _General_ under layers and layers of neat armor and lost it all in the end.

“Ben, I'm... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I'll tell you everything later, I just need time to process some things.” He massaged his forehead with his fingers in a vain impulse to suppress the headache that had intensified as the minutes passed.

“Don't worry. I'm not proud of myself either. Although, to be honest, you deserved a good smack.”

“You're a little rusty Solo.”

“What's going on is you want a rematch. Or maybe a sword duel, but you suck at that too...”

“I could have easily defeated you if that... mechanic hadn't meddled!” he could think of other adjectives for the obnoxious Miss Tico, but he tried to control himself.

“Rose is a great person and I will not allow you to disrespect her. You should apologize before it's too late.”

“She's the one who has to apologize to me! I could ruin her business by giving her a lousy review.”

Ben let out a loud laugh.

“It won't do any good, no one's going to believe you! She's the best we've got for miles around and you're just irritated because she didn't sigh with love when she saw you, like they all do.”

Armitage bit his lips because he knew Ben was right.

“I'm not at my best. And you're still too romantic, Solo. If you like her so much, why don't you try it yourself?”

Ben ignored the redhead, he didn't feel like explaining that his heart was dancing for another girl and that Rose was like a sister to him.

“I saw that she wanted to help you and you turned her face away. That's not right, mate.”

“I didn't need her help.”

“She was being nice!”

“Nice? The girl in the overalls? Pff! Well, she looks like a...”

* * *

“Insufferable Demon!” Rose tossed the grease-filled towel onto a nearby shelf. “How dare he?”

“Don't worry, he's just a little drunk. Armie's very nice, you'll see.”

“A little? Rey, he said my shop sucks.” The mechanic raised a wrench accusingly in the redhead's direction. “You have no idea how much that pisses me off.”

“Well, no one said he was good with words.” Rey thought better of it and in fact, he wasn't.

“Anyway, I want him away from here. I can't work quietly with his prying blue eyes underestimating every single thing I do.”

“Blue? I thought they were green. But of course, I've never been close enough to him to confirm it...” Rey started to laugh but the murderous look of her young friend stopped her. “All right, what's _Supremacy's_ diagnosis?”

«Even his car has a pretentious name» thought Rose.

But the beauty of the machine was undeniable and it was in perfect condition, except for the detail of ruined spark plugs and a dead battery. Apparently his previous mechanic had either ripped him off or the redhead had no idea of basic mechanics. He was leaning toward the latter, but other details in his scan told him it might be the former and he had to warn him.

That was the hard part, because she was still too angry to address that insufferable being, with his untidy mane and several days' beard. And worst of all, she couldn't get him out of her mind.

* * *

“Where are you staying?” Ben tried to divert the conversation to other topics.

“At my father's house.” Armie said, as if it were the obvious thing to do.

“It is not possible, the house is not in good condition. The _Tuskens_ have dismantled it. They haven't even left the doors...”

“What? But J.J. told me it was ready to use!” Desperation made his voice crack.

“Well, J.J.'s a scammer, you know that.” Ben felt so sorry for his friend that he couldn't help but want to help him. “You can stay at my place.”

A spark of hope lit up his blue eyes, but he didn't admit it out loud. At least he would have a bed to rest in that night, though what was at the top of his list was a long, relaxing shower.

“Are we walking to the other side of town? Or have you moved closer to here?”

“Of course, I forgot that city kids don't walk. What a weird way for you to say thank you, maybe Rose is right and you're just spoiled...”

“Shut the fuck up. And buy yourself a car.”

“I already have one.” Ben stared at the ground and Hux regretted having spoken.

“It's been so long and you're still blaming yourself.”

“Some days are better than others.” Ben shrugged. ”But I'd rather not think about that now.” His gaze shifted from his father's car to Rey, who was examining _Supremacy_ next to Rose and had a charming smile. Their gazes met and diverted instantly, but Armie noticed right away.

“She's a sunshine. I wonder why she'd come to a junk off a town like this.” He hadn't meant to provoke Ben, but he felt his fury rising before she spoke in his icy tone.

“Don't even think about it.”

“She's not my type. And I have no intention of getting into such things just yet. Women are evil. Except Rey, of course. But I think I can help you with that...” Armie braced himself for another attack from his friend.

“I think the damage has already been done. Remember that the next time you tell our adventures to strangers, _General_.”

“You're welcome, _Supreme Leader_.” Hux shrugged and smiled for the first time all day.

* * *

Rey paid little attention to her friend because she felt Ben was watching, but honor demanded that she defend Hux, while Millie continued to explore the workshop at her leisure. The kitten had no intention of returning to her master, as the landlady's couch looked much more interesting.

“You should give him a chance, he and Ben are good friends... or apparently were at one time.” Rey picked up Millie and the cat let herself be lifted up, delighted by her old friend's attention.

“I had never heard of him before.”

Much to her chagrin, Rose was intrigued but didn't want to show it, so she went right into changing the spark plugs, but not before giving him a reproachful look from a distance. And she shouldn't have, because just at that instant, Armitage smiled in a way that stopped her heart and gave her a funny feeling in her stomach.

A honk tore from her pitiful state and Millicent shot back toward the back of the shop. Phasma was arriving with her police van and parked near where Ben and Hux were. Finn came out from his hiding place to greet her and the girls approached fearing some trouble, but that possibility was ruled out when the woman came down with a wide smile on her face and open arms in the direction of the newcomer.

“I can't believe it, Arnie's here! I didn't expect this.” The red-haired man's lungs were knocked out of his lungs by the force of the hug that lifted him just a few inches off the ground.

Rose wondered why everything was suddenly revolving around the red-haired intruder. What kind of magic did he have that enchanted everyone?

«It's not going to work on me» she said to herself.

“Miss Tico. Mr. Benjamin. Scum.” Phasma released her prey with a pitiful whimper and then waved alternately at Ben and Rose before clashing fists with Finn.

“Scum. Rebel Scum. You have to say it in full or it doesn't have the same effect!” replied the latter, shaking his head. “Whatever. Rey, meet the law of _New Alderaan_. Commissioner Phasma.”

“You must be Miss Niima. Welcome to our humble little town! If you ever have trouble with either of these two, you know where to turn. Captain Phasma at your service.” the woman extended her hand to Rey and then winked at Ben with very little subtlety.

“Great. Just what I was missing. A ride in the patrol car.” Armie sighed, resigned.

“Be thankful you're my friend, I'd never let you go up there looking like that.” Phasma looked him up and down and noticed the young brunette again. “Actually it's Rey I'm looking for, I must deliver this to you.” She took a small letter out of one of her pockets and added, addressing it to the Prince. “The mayors sends her regards, Ben.”

Rey did not miss the shadow that crossed his face, but she would ask him later. Now she was intrigued to know what the note said and everyone around her seemed to be too, because they didn't miss a single one of her movements.

Ben recognized his mother's handwriting on the invitation, which was nothing more than confirmation of what she had already revealed to Rey earlier. But why was she going to all this trouble if it wasn't a formal event? What was his mother up to now?

“It's just a formality, but you are all invited, of course. The _Millaflower_ _Organizing_ _Committee_ is renewed every year and help is never in short supply.” Phas hastened to explain. “Leia wants to take the opportunity to officially welcome you back to town and now that Armie is back I think it will be a double event!”

“Rumors are flying around here.” Ben replied a little annoyed. His mother or uncle was up to something, and he was sure it had something to do with him.

Phasma shrugged unsure what to say, but her mischievous smile implied much more.

“We also hope you will join us this year, Miss Tico.” Phasma overflowed kindness from her pores, she could be convincing when she put her mind to it.

Rose was about to protest again but Rey grabbed her arm.

“Well tell her thank you very much and it would be an honor to attend!” Rey tucked the little note in her gardener's pocket and hid her nervousness. The prospect of being introduced was a little scary and he didn't want to see his grandfather again just yet.

Ben realized what was going on and wanted to tell her to be quiet, Palpatine was not allowed in those meetings, but he couldn't do it without embarrassing her. He wanted Rey to understand that she would not be alone among strangers and that he would not allow anyone to hurt her. But the words got stuck in her head and she clenched her fists in helplessness.

Armitage rolled his eyes and nudged his friend.

“Ben and I will come by and pick you up, Rey, won't we?”

“ _We're_ counting on it.” the young woman appreciated the proposal and smiled in Rose's direction. “You're coming too and I won't take no for an answer.”

“I beg your pardon?” exclaimed the mechanic, raising her eyebrows.

“As you wish.” The red-haired man was patient enough to face her with disguised kindness and then he added. “But now I'd love to know what happened to my car and my cat, if Miss Tico would be so kind.”

“I need a new battery and I can't order it until tomorrow. It will arrive Saturday afternoon hopefully, but I can assure you _she_ will be ready by Sunday morning.”

“ _She_?”

Rose folded her arms, she wouldn't explain to that energumen that for her cars were something similar to Rey's books.

“ _Good_. What about Millie?”

“You can leave her here for a few days, she doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I'll look after her.” Rey hastened to answer before the same thing happened again.

“Everything's great here. Let's get going then.” Phasma climbed into the car and started the engine. “Unless that patrol ride doesn't sound so bad now.” She motioned with her head to where Ben and Hux were standing. “I'll give you two a ride. No need to thank me. Just try not to kill each other on the way or I'll lose the bet.”

“What bet?” Ben asked.

“Mitaka went with the gossip that Professor Solo and a stranger were fighting in the Tico workshop.” The woman burst out laughing. “If I'd known it was Armie I wouldn't have taken the chance!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Meet me [on twitter](https://twitter.com/lubamoon_n)


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